A year ago, Boston College lacrosse beat Stony Brook to advance to its eighth straight NCAA semifinal game.
This year, there were very different emotions on display when the final horn sounded.
After falling behind by six goals in the first half, the Eagles (10–8, 6–4 Atlantic Coast) fought back against the No. 5-seeded Seawolves (19–2, Coastal Athletic), but the comeback bid came up just short as the Eagles lost 10–9 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ending their season and the careers of All-Americans Shea Baker and Shea Dolce.
“It’s really hard when you have a game like that, where you fight all the way back against a great opponent, against four officials, and to come up short in the end is just such a heartbreaker,” BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said.
As they have been all year, turnovers were a big issue for BC. The Eagles lost the ball 15 times, with 11 of those giveaways being forced by Stony Brook’s defense.
In the first quarter, BC continued the offensive slump it was in during its two-goal second half on Friday. Over the opening 15 minutes, BC managed just two shots while turning the ball over six times.
Stony Brook had no such issues. Julia Fusco opened up the scoring 5:09 into the game, and 1:38 later, Jeilinne Bonilla made it 2–0. The Seawolves tacked on two more goals before the first quarter ended, taking a commanding 4–0 lead into the second.
“It was important that we put our best foot forward and took the lead there,” Stony Brook’s Isabella Caporuscio said. “And you know, looking at the stats, that was the difference maker, that first quarter for us.”
Marissa White tried to get things going for BC in the second, scoring with 11:58 left in the half to get BC on the board. But seven seconds later, Caporuscio fired back to push the lead back to four. A pair of Stony Brook goals over the next six minutes extended the lead to 7–1.
With under two minutes left in the half, Kylee Colbert showed up for BC. After scoring a career-high six goals in the first round against Yale, she scored two goals in the last 1:55 of the second quarter, including with three seconds left, to send BC into halftime at a 7–3 deficit.
Disaster struck for the Eagles in the third quarter. In 92 seconds, Stony Brook scored but had a goal overturned, Baker was called for a yellow card, and the Seawolves scored on the ensuing free-position shot before scoring again to make it 9–3. The card was Baker’s second of the game, ending her day and her collegiate career.
“That was just our senior captain, and that was when we were like, ‘We are doing everything we possibly could for her,’’’ Colbert said. “And I think everyone took that in and was like, ‘I’m playing like Shea Baker today and for the rest of the game.’”
That rough patch ended up being a turning point for BC. After a timeout, BC took possession and converted, with Giulia Colarusso making it 9–4. Two more draw controls later, White and Colbert had both found the back of the net, and the lead was down to three. Another goal from Colbert, her fourth of the day and 10th of the tournament, made it 9–7 heading into the fourth.
“I’ve never seen such a young unit come together and really rally,” Dolce said. “And I’m just so proud because, like, looking into everybody’s eyes, people were stepping up in the biggest moment of their careers, no matter their age, there was a will, there was a fight, and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Seawolves drew first blood of the final period, with Haydin Eisfeld getting Stony Brook’s 10th goal of the game to make it 10–7 with 11:48. From there, BC went to work.
Molly Driscoll opened the fourth-quarter scoring for BC with 8:11 left in the game to make it 10–8, and at the 4:13 mark, Colarusso got her second goal of the game to cut the lead to one.
Stony Brook had multiple chances to put the game away over the final four minutes, taking three shots from close range. But a save by Dolce, a hit crossbar, and a blocked shot from BC’s defense kept the Eagles in it and gave them the ball back with under a minute left.
The Eagles were able to get a free-position shot, but Stony Brook’s defense did what it had done all day, forcing one final turnover to secure the 10–9 victory and send the Seawolves back to the NCAA quarterfinals.
“We’re here to win,” Walker-Weinstein said. “So, you know, we didn’t accomplish our goal, but I am proud that the girls fought, because I told them in the locker room, that’s life. Life’s not easy, and you just have to find ways to fight for yourself, for the people around you.”
