A victory in Wednesday’s game against Dartmouth was never in question for No. 7 Boston College lacrosse, as BC easily slipped through the Big Green’s defenders and proved dominant on both sides of the field to establish an early seven-goal lead. The Eagles rarely gave Dartmouth a chance to respond on offense, playing lockdown defense in front of freshman goalkeeper Shea Dolce in net, often leaving Dartmouth scrambling and stuck.
“One-on-one defense was really good today,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “And I thought, you know, they really just executed the first level of our defense really well. And I’m really proud of them. We worked on it all week. It’s been a major focus for us.”
Despite BC’s success in recent seasons, Dartmouth (2–6, 0–2 Ivy) entered the matchup holding a 12–5 all-time record over BC (8–3, 4–1 Atlantic Coast). But the Eagles have chipped away at this lead as of late, and Wednesday’s 18–5 victory for BC marked the Eagles’ sixth straight win over the Big Green.
“I just think we’re all playing for each other,” Walker-Weinstein said. “And that’s like, the point. The X’s and O’s have nothing to do with it, really, it’s them playing for each other.”
It did not take long for the Eagles to assert themselves as the dominant team in the matchup, as Belle Smith rattled off two quick goals within the first four minutes of play. Ryan Smith extended BC’s lead to 3–0 before the game even reached the 10-minute mark of the first quarter.
This was just the beginning of the Eagles’ scoring barrage, and they continued to pour goals past Gisele Todd and the Big Green. Jenn Medjid led the scoring in the first quarter, notching a hat trick within the first 15 minutes of the contest, and she was accompanied by Belle Smith, who scored two goals, and Ryan Smith and Mckenna Davis, who contributed one goal apiece.
“We’ve been working on a lot of new things,” Walker-Weinstein said. “At the same time, we’re trying to keep things fairly simple, and I think the girls just did a great job of executing the game plan and playing for each other.”
The first quarter ended with BC up 7–0, which proved to be too much for Dartmouth to overcome. The Big Green had no response for the Eagles’ dynamic offense, with assists coming on 11 of their 18 total goals in the game.
After the one-sided first quarter, the Big Green potted three goals of its own in the second, but the Eagles refused to let Dartmouth back into the game and tallied four goals in the same quarter. Medjid added to her dominant performance in the quarter with her fourth and fifth goals, while Belle Smith completed a hat trick and Davis notched her second goal of the contest.
BC entered the second half with a commanding 11–3 advantage and halted nearly all of Dartmouth’s efforts to make a run at its lead. The Eagles scored 11 goals on just 17 total shots in the first half, rarely missing their mark. Dolce’s defense in goal anchored BC in the first two quarters. She made three saves on Dartmouth’s nine total shot attempts.
The second half was no different, as BC continued to impose its will on the Big Green’s defense.
The Eagles added five goals to Dartmouth’s two in the third quarter and iced what was already a comfortable win as they entered the final quarter of play with a 16–5 advantage.
The Big Green failed to penetrate BC’s defense in the final quarter, but BC also struggled to get past Dartmouth. Neither team found the back of the net until junior attacker Erin Walsh recorded her first goal of the season with 2:17 remaining and added a second with just five seconds remaining. Walsh’s two goals were just the second and third goals of her collegiate career, and they capped off the Eagles’ commanding victory.
“You know, we just had to get one percent better, tomorrow and the following day, and get ready for three ACC games,” Walker-Weinstein said. “So it’s going to be a gauntlet, but, you know, the girls will be up for it.”
