For just the second time all year, Boston College lacrosse entered halftime trailing on Saturday afternoon. Not only that but Louisville held the Eagles—the second-highest scoring team in the nation—to a season-low three first-half goals. But it was only a matter of time before BC’s attackers found their footing. Sure enough, the Eagles bounced back in the second period, erupting for a season-best 16 second-half goals, running away with a 19-10 victory, their 10th-straight win.
With their perfect season so far, the No. 2 Eagles (10-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) have matched their longest winning streak in program history and are one of four top-20 teams to have an undefeated season so far.
BC took control of Saturday’s game quickly. The first few minutes of the game were quiet, but the Eagles made sure to keep the ball on Louisville’s (6-4, 0-3) side of the field. Hannah Hyatt took the first shot of the game and tried to bounce it into the net, but Louisville scooped it up and trotted down the field. Soon enough, BC regained possession and challenged Cardinals goalie Lexie Ball. The Eagles took an early lead after Dempsey Arsenault wove her way through a sea of Louisville defenders and whipped a shot on net. Shortly after, BC increased its lead, thanks to a Tess Chandler scoring play.
Its lead was cut in half, though, after the Cardinals responded to the two early BC goals. Madison Hoover took a shot that sailed over Lauren Daly’s shoulder, putting Louisville on the board. The Eagles had a chance to restore their two-goal lead when Kaileen Hart took a free-position shot. Her attempt was narrowly blocked by Ball, but a foul call gave the senior a second chance on net. Once again, Hart’s shot was blocked, this time by defenders, and the Eagles came up short in Louisville’s half. Moments later, Caroline Blalock netted her first goal of the game, knotting the game up at two goals apiece.
The tie was short-lived, though—Arsenault answered with a goal of her own, megging Ball in the process. Yet Louisville retaliated, equalizing the game with another Hoover goal. The Cardinals took the lead for the first time of the game after Tessa Chad broke through the Eagles’ defense and fired a shot past Daly. With five seconds left in the period, Louisville netted its third-straight goal of the half. After controlling the ball for the majority of the half, the Eagles headed to the locker rooms, trailing their ACC rivals by a pair of goals.
As the second half began, it was clear BC was unfazed by the late Louisville goals. In due time, Hart cut the deficit down to one. And after that, the Eagles couldn’t be stopped. Taylor Walker tied things up with her first goal of the game. Then, both Chandler and Hart netted goals of their own to slingshot the Eagles back into the lead.
Julia Wood responded to cut the BC lead, but her attempt to inspire Louisville was ineffective. Two more Arsenault and Cara Urbank scoring plays gave the Eagles a three-goal lead—at the time, their largest of the game. Wood narrowed the lead again after picking up a pass from Blalock and immediately rifling a shot past Daly. Louisville drew within one of goal of BC when Chad scored on a free-position attempt. It was the closest the Cardinals would get to matching the Eagles’ scoring total.
After Chandler upped BC’s lead with a free-position attempt, the Eagles’ offense put Louisville to bed. Following Chandler’s goal, Emma Shurr slated her first goal of the game. Shortly after, Hart ran up the right side of the field and blasted a shot past Ball. Sam Apuzzo connected for her first goal of the game, and Shurr netted two goals immediately after to cap a three-goal scoring spurt, spanning just a minute of game time.
With less than five minutes left in the contest, the Eagles had a six-goal advantage. BC couldn’t be upended after both Arsenault and Walker poured on two more goals. Following eight-consecutive Eagles goals, Louisville finally showed some signs of life with three minutes remaining in regulation. Then, BC resumed the blowout: Hyatt was fouled in the crease, and she charged toward Ball and bounced the ball into the back of the net. Emily Howell scored the Cardinals’ 10th and final goal, but the scoring play hardly affected the end result.
Hart, Apuzzo, and Chandler have each notched a goal in every game of the season, but it was Arsenault who turned heads throughout the afternoon. She set a career high of 12 draw controls, breaking the program record set by Apuzzo in the team’s matchup with Brown earlier in the season. Regardless of the caliber of opponent, it’s apparent that BC is loaded with superstars—the only recurring question is, which one will steal the headline?
Featured Image by Lizzy Barrett / Heights Senior Staff
