It’s not often that a lacrosse team holds its ranked opponent to just three goals in a contest.
But that is exactly what No. 3 Boston College lacrosse (1–0) did to No. 18 Southern California (0–1) in its season opener at Fish Field House. The game was a one-sided affair, and BC defeated the Trojans 14–3 behind a mix of overpowering offense and lockdown defense.
“I thought everyone did a really good job with the game plan and relentless pressure,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “And you know, goaltending was excellent today by both Rachel and Shay. I give them so much credit.”
Without Charlotte North on the roster for the first time in three seasons, many were asking how BC’s offense would form a new identity. But this proved to be a nonissue for the Eagles, who tallied 35 shots and converted on 14 of 24 shots on goal.
“I thought that [Jenn Medjid and Belle Smith] were aggressive, but they were also incredibly unselfish,” Walker-Weinstein said. “And I think they read the zone really well today, so I was proud of all the teamwork.”
After over four minutes without a goal, the stalemate ended when Mckenna Davis notched the Eagles’ first goal of the season with 10:42 remaining in the first period.
A foul on Southern California’s Olivia Dooley gifted the Eagles’ offense a free-position opportunity at the 9:44 mark, and Kayla Martello took advantage, sending the ball flying past Southern California goaltender Kait Devir—who played at BC during the 2020 and 2021 seasons as Rachel Hall’s backup—to put the Eagles up 2–0.
The two subsequent goals came from graduate student Jenn Medjid who got the best of Devir for her first and second goals of the season to put the Eagles up 4–0.
Just over 30 seconds later, Belle Smith found herself in the scorers’ circle as well, extending the Eagles’ lead to 5–0. Devir could not stop the Eagles’ offense, recording a . 417 save percentage throughout the entire match.
While BC’s offensive dominance in the game was clear, the Eagles also showed strength on defense, displaying how well-rounded their squad is on both sides of the field.
“I think our scout attack team all week worked really hard to simulate them,” Walker-Weinstein said. “And I think it translated to game day, so, I’m really proud of them.”
BC conceded the Trojans’ first and only goal of the first period to Shelby Tilton with 15 seconds remaining. Despite the goal, BC’s defense held Southern California to just two shots on goal in the quarter.
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to pick up where they left off in the second quarter. Medjid continued her tear, tallying her third goal of the game less than two minutes into the second quarter, and Davis notched her second of the game at the 1:07 mark. Annabelle Hasselbeck also joined the scoring frenzy, and BC entered half with an 8–1 advantage.
The Eagles commanded the draws in the first half, holding an 8–3 draw advantage over Southern California.
“We had a brand new draw team which was awesome,” Walker-Weinstein said. “And you know, we won a lot of the draw circle, the draws, but then we also had, you know, great execution on our ride, and I think top to bottom it was a great start.”
The third period resulted in similar BC domination. Martello tallied her second goal of the season just 41 seconds into the quarter, and Medjid added to her impressive statline with her fourth goal of the game at the 5:45 mark.
Southern California finally broke through the Eagles’ defense for two late goals, both coming under 2:30 remaining in the third frame.
The Eagles tallied four more goals in the final quarter, but play was halted with 3:22 remaining when Medjid went down with an apparent lower leg injury. Medjid was helped to the sidelines where she spent the remainder of the game being tended to by trainers.
“She’s, she’s fine,” Walker Weinstein said. “She’s gonna be fine. It just looked worse than it was. She’s gonna be fine.”
Anchoring down the defense was Hall and freshman goaltender Shea Dolce, with Hall playing the first three quarters of the game and Dolce checking in for the final quarter. Dolce made her NCAA debut Saturday, snatching two saves and letting up no goals.
And despite the statement win, Walker-Weinstein acknowledged the Eagles have a larger goal in sight.
“We want to win a national championship,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We take it one game at a time, but that is the ultimate goal.”
