Boston College women’s lacrosse made history on May 30, 2021, winning the National Championship for the first time in program history. The Eagles lost only three games last season, two of which came against Syracuse, which the Eagles they later defeated in the National Championship. This year, BC will set out to do it all again.
The Eagles sit at No. 1 in USA Lacrosse Magazine’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Top 20. Seven BC players were named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America teams, with Charlotte North named to the first team, Belle Smith, Hollie Schleicher, and Courtney Taylor named to the second team, Sydney Scales named to the third team, and Jenn Medjid and Hunter Roman earning honorable mentions.
North and Schleicher were also named to the first team of USA Lacrosse Magazine’s Preseason All-American team, and Medjid, Taylor, and Smith each earned a spot on the second team.
While BC will look to see contributions from the breadth of its roster, the Eagles will look to North, Taylor, Medjid, and Smith to lead the way.
After transferring to BC from Duke for the 2020 season, North quickly rose to recognition after leading the Eagles to their first National Championship. She broke the NCAA scoring record with 102 goals last season, was named the 2021 Mary Garber ACC Female Athlete of the Year, and was awarded the 2021 Tewaaraton Award. Returning for her fifth year, North has continued to grow her personal brand and establish herself as a household name.
Another graduate student to watch will be Taylor, who transferred from Temple University this season. Taylor finished the 2021 season leading the nation in ground balls and second in the nation in caused turnovers. She will add strength to BC’s defense, alongside Schleicher, Roman, and Scales.
Medjid, who finished 2021 with the second-most goals on BC’s squad, will be a key weapon in the Eagles’ arsenal.
Smith began her career at BC with a bang, establishing herself as one of the best freshmen in the country last season. She was named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2021 and logged 65 points during the season.
BC will hit the ground running on its quest for a second consecutive championship in its season opener against No. 4 Northwestern on Feb. 12.
Other notable matchups for the Eagles include a March 20 game against North Carolina, which was ranked No. 1 throughout the 2021 season before falling to BC in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals. BC will take on Syracuse, the 2021 runner-up, to close out its regular season on April 22.
The Eagles will be without 2021 All-Americans Cara Urbank and Jillian Reilly, who played in three consecutive National Championship games for BC before winning one last season. But, in the absence of Urbank and Reilly, the Eagles have brought in five freshmen, including attacker Mallory Hasselbeck, Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1 recruit for the Class of 2025. Hasselbeck’s sister Annabelle is a sophomore midfielder for the Eagles and appeared in all 21 of BC’s games last season.
With contributions from both veterans and newcomers, all eyes will be on the Eagles as they set out to bring another trophy back to Chestnut Hill.
Featured Graphic by Annie Corrigan / Heights Editor
