Last season, Boston College lacrosse scored 20 goals or more in six of its games, including three of its first four. This year, though, the offense has struggled to match that level of firepower—until Monday’s game against Albany, that is.
Coming off an upset over then-No. 2 Stanford, No. 12 BC (7–5, 5–3 Atlantic Coast) turned offensive momentum into a dominant first quarter and a 22–5 win over the Great Danes (8–4, 3–0 America East).
Five different Eagles tallied five points or more, and Kylee Colbert and Marissa White led BC with five goals each.
“I’m so happy about that,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said of her team’s variety of scorers. “They were really unselfish sharing the ball against the man, against their zone. So I’m just happy to see the offense—really, they’re really connecting and trusting each other.”
Ball movement was key for BC’s victory. Fifteen of the Eagles’ 22 goals were assisted.
“It was great team offense today,” White said. “They were in a zone, so we had a lot of great ball movement, and I think that’s why a lot of them were able to be assisted.”
BC came out of the gate firing. The Eagles found themselves with a 4–0 lead 5:11 into the game following a pair of goals from White, plus one each from Molly Driscoll and Giulia Colarusso. That would be a sign of things to come.
By the time the first quarter came to a close, BC was up 11–0. Both Colbert and White tallied hat tricks in the opening frame to help BC build its lead.
“We were really hitting on all cylinders,” White said. “We always talk about having a strong start, so it was really great to do that today.”
BC’s lead got up to 12 thanks to White’s fourth goal of the game before Albany got on the board with 11:50 left in the first half after Ravan Marsell scored. That was as close as Albany would get, though. BC scored four consecutive goals to take a 16–1 lead, and one more Great Dane score made it 16–2 heading into halftime.
The Eagles forced six Albany turnovers in the opening 30 minutes, and Shea Dolce added on a pair of saves. Dolce ended the game with seven saves and a .583 save percentage.
“They’re coming together,” Walker-Weinstein said of BC’s defense. “I know they’re fighting for their season, that’s what, you know, we’ve taught—we’ve ingrained in them that every game is an opportunity to fight for your season, and I think they really are.”
The second half went by quickly with the running clock in effect, but BC was still able to make some noise on offense. The Eagles added six more goals in the second half, including Caroline Chisholm’s goal near the end of the third to get BC to the 20-goal threshold for the first time this season.
The biggest highlight of the game for BC came in the fourth quarter. Up 17 heading into the final 15 minutes, Walker-Weinstein was able to empty her bench.
That meant that Peyton Oliver, a senior who had not registered any stats in four years at BC, was able to get in the game. She made the most of the opportunity, scoring her first career goal.
“Peyton has been a champion since she got here,” Walker-Weinstein said. “She has made such an influence and has left her mark. I think she has helped us raise the bar in terms of our preparation, and to see her have her moment, you know, I think it brought tears to everyone on the team.”
BC has now won five of its last six games.
“Everyone’s been great,” White said. “And I just think as the season has gone on, we’ve really started to find our flow and build a lot of chemistry, which is huge.”
