The postseason is a blank slate where previous results do not matter, seeding is just a number, and every team’s championship hopes are alive.
Coming off a season-defining victory over then-No. 4 Syracuse, Boston College lacrosse entered Wednesday’s highly anticipated rematch looking to repeat its Chestnut Hill upset win over Stanford. But despite dominating the draw circle 17–5, No. 7-seeded BC (9–7, 6–4 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 2-seeded Stanford (14–3, 8–2) 14–7 in the ACC Quarterfinals.
“The players know the stakes are far higher,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “You never know what the future holds.”
The Cardinal’s Aliya Polisky opened the scoring for Stanford, beating All-ACC First Team selection Shea Baker to the crease with a slip dodge. Polisky’s three goals and four points propelled Stanford to the win, with her initial goal foreshadowing the offensive surge that was to come.
Just over a minute later, though, Caroline Chisholm responded with a goal of her own, evening the score for the last time of the night.
With Cardinal goalie Lucy Pearson returning after missing seven games due to injury, Stanford went into the game looking primed for a deep tournament run. Stanford’s defense prevented the Eagles from settling into the flow of the game early, holding BC to just two shots on goal in the first frame and forcing five turnovers.
“We’re not in a rhythm,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We’re playing a little tentative … Stanford is out-playing us.”
After a nearly 18-minute Eagles scoring drought, Marissa White and Molly Driscoll finally got the Eagles back on the scoreboard, cutting the deficit to 6–3. But the Stanford offense proved to be a threat all game for Shea Dolce, scoring its first seven shots on goal before Dolce recorded her first save of the night with 3:23 to play in the second quarter.
Following a last-second behind-the-back goal from Kylee Colbert, the Eagles trailed 8–4 going into the second half.
“I think offensively, we didn’t make enough plays,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I don’t think we shot very well. You can’t do that in the ACC Tournament.”
Looking to ignite BC’s offensive unit, Lily Kondas set the tone immediately in the third quarter, finding the back of the net off a Giulia Colarusso assist. Colarusso followed shortly after with a goal of her own to keep the Eagles’ comeback hopes alive.
Despite the two quick goals, Stanford’s relentless scoring effort stifled any chance of a BC win. The Eagles struggled to mitigate Stanford on fast breaks and gave up goals to nine different Cardinal players.
The fourth quarter was more of the same for BC—an early White goal was quickly overshadowed by six BC turnovers to close out the game 14–7, ending the Eagles’ conference tournament campaign.
“We just need to focus on getting better for the next two weeks and really diving deep into our practices,” Walker-Weinstein said.
