Less than four minutes into No. 4 Boston College lacrosse’s matchup against Duke, the Eagles were already up 5–0 to the Blue Devils. Then, McKenna Davis scored yet another early BC goal.
Sprinting down the field, Davis faked her defender before firing the ball past Duke’s Kennedy Everson, marking Davis’ 10th goal of the season.
“I think we were trying to set the tone early,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “When you are playing a team as good as Duke, it is important to come out fast and strong, and I think our girls just took care of all the little things in the beginning and in the first quarter, and it translated on the scoreboard.”
The Eagles (9–2, 4–1 Atlantic Coast) continued their offensive dominance over Duke (6–5, 2–3) and ultimately trampled the Blue Devils 18–3 on Saturday afternoon in Durham, NC.
Less than five minutes into the game, Rachel Clark already had two goals on the afternoon, marking her 41st and 42nd goals of the season.
The Eagles concluded the first quarter with a dominant 8–1 lead.
Thirteen seconds into the second quarter, Belle Smith delivered her 18th goal of the season for BC. After receiving a pass from Kayla Martello, B. Smith launched the ball into the upper corner of the cage. The shot swished through Duke’s net and the whistle blared to signal a goal.
“I was really proud of how our midfielders played from top to bottom,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I think our midfielders had such a complete day, and I am really proud of them.”
Going into the half, BC maintained a 10-goal lead as the scoreboard at Koskinen Stadium read 12–2.
BC’s offensive success persisted as the Blue Devil’s scavenged to prevent the Eagles from converting off of the draw control thanks to Ryan Smith. BC secured 14 draw controls, compared to Duke’s nine.
“I think Ryan Smith has probably been the steadiest player on the team the whole year,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I think today she was a gritty midfielder that just did her job and every single draw she brought so much focus and control, and I thought she had one of her best games ever.”
When asked about BC’s ability to convert on the draw control, R. Smith discussed what this matchup meant for BC’s draw control team.
“I think we needed this breakout game for our draws,” R. Smith said. “I think that we were waiting for this game, and we have a draw control team of about 12 people, and it takes every single person on the field to the girls on the sideline too. We are a really connected unit.”
In the third frame, Martello scored two goals for BC that came within two minutes of each other. After receiving a pass off the draw control, Martello sprinted toward the net and shot the ball unassisted.
BC continued to follow its gameplan.
“I think they broke out beyond the ride very well,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We had excellent spacing and good stickwork. I think that’s only happening because there are good defensive stops that are giving us those opportunities for transition. I think this was a complete effort top to bottom.”
Ending the third quarter, B. Smith, Shea Baker, and Emma LoPinto scored three more goals, bringing the score to 17–3.
While the fourth frame was rather quiet for both teams, BC’s defense shut down any chance of a Duke offensive ride, as the Blue Devils scored no shots in the final fifteen minutes of play. With 4:33 left to play in the game, BC’s only goal of the fourth quarter came from Clark.
The win marked the Eagles’ third consecutive win over the Blue Devils.
“We only had 11 turnovers, which is awesome,” Walker-Weinstein said. “We won in ground balls, we won in draw controls, we limited their top players in scoring, which has been a huge focus.”
