Eagles Are Final Four Bound

Boston College and Stony Brook had barely started their warm up stretches in the NCAA Quarterfinal game when Mother Nature decided to provide the perfect backdrop. Clear skies quickly darkened, turning more and more gray until a light drizzle opened up into outright downpours. It produced an unforgiving soak that didn't give up through much of the afternoon.

At various points, the rain only got more intense and stronger. It was something prophetic.

A game billed as two of the best pound-for-pound rosters in the nation traded goals, knockout punches and heavy blows. 60 minutes solved nothing, and the Eagles and Seawolves - the only teams to finish the regular season undefeated in Division I - went to sudden victory overtime, where BC's Dempsey Arsenault slammed home what became the final difference in a see-saw, 12-11, victory.

With the win, the Eagles advanced to the Final Four for the second straight season next week, held, perhaps ironically, at Stony Brook. BC will meet, in another sports twist of fate, Maryland, the overall No. 1 seed in this year's tournament that defeated the home side in last year's NCAA Championship.

"I haven't figured out (how this feels) yet," said BC head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. "I am so proud of these girls. We threw some things at them that they've never done. They've been doing that all year long. They were smart and locked in. They stayed level-headed when we were down and level-headed when we were up. I'm just so happy."

"I'm speechless," said goalkeeper Lauren Daly. "To go back to the Final Four is a dream come true after last year. I have no other words."

BC and Stony Brook entered Saturday as the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively, in the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament, but it was hyped as a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 kind of game. That's what typically happens when teams spend the regular season in those two spots.

It didn't disappoint. BC stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the game's first two minutes and led for much of the first half, but the Seawolves started firing on all cylinders after an early-game timeout. Sam Apuzzo, Kaileen Hart and Dempsey Arsenault put Stony Brook on roller skates, forcing Seawolves head coach Joe Spallina to call a time out. His team stemmed the tide and bought time, trading goals before going on a four-goal run to take a 6-5 lead.

That lead only lasted 11 seconds before Hart tied it, but a goal by Ally Kennedy with 16.1 seconds left - her third of the game - gave Stony Brook the lead through the first 30 minutes of play.

"We didn't play our game there, and we had gotten out of our flow," Walker-Weinstein said. "But the girls, again, just stayed level-headed. You wouldn't have thought that we were down. They're nothing like me when I'm going crazy on the sideline."

The second half did nothing to diminish the energy. The teams traded goals early on before the Seawolves finally grabbed momentum. They rattled off four straight goals, including two straight from Kennedy. Her sixth of the day gave Stony Brook an 11-8 lead with 15:59 remaining.

The Seawolves wouldn't score again. BC broke through with 14:37 remaining when Hart scored her fourth goal. It provided a little rattle to the Stony Brook psyche, which in turn created more opportunity for the Eagles through some mental miscues. A green card gave BC a man-up 90 seconds later, providing senior Tess Chandler an opportunity to bury home a high pass with seven seconds remaining on the shot clock, pulling the Eagles within one.

By the time Stony Brook got traction back, the score was tied. Chandler slammed a second elevator pass home to knot it with 3:39 left, but it created a frenetic race to the finish where both teams had a chance to claim victory. But Lauren Daly slammed the door shut with a late game save on the nation's leading scorer, stoning a behind-the-back shot from Kylie Ohlmiller to force the extra session.

"I had practiced all week with our assistant coach, Kayla Treanor, on backhand shots," Daly said. "I just kept waiting for that backhander (from Ohlmiller). I give a lot of credit to my teammates for that incredible defense they played on her all game. I wouldn't have been able to make the save if it wasn't for them."

The game's pace and atmosphere matched the intensity. The two teams combined for 36 shots but committed 31 turnovers. Referees whistled 51 fouls, including 27 in the second half and 30 against the Seawolves. They handed out eight cards in total, including three in a three minute span in the second half. It was a perfect indication of how passionate and emotional the game became in a pelting and persistent rainstorm before over 800 fans.

"It was crazy," Walker-Weinstein said. "We had to use everything to beat Stony Brook. A lot of things we were doing weren't working because (the Seawolves) have such a good team. We had to keep thinking on our feet and make plays on our feet."

The win pushes BC into the Final Four for a second consecutive season, and it avenged a season-ending loss to the Seawolves from the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Having tied up those storylines, the Eagles now push forward to face a familiar foe when they draw the No. 1-seeded Maryland Terrapins.

"This is an amazing feeling," Apuzzo, who will be playing close to her home in West Babylon, New York, said. "We weren't sure what was going to happen this year, but we worked so hard in the preseason and during the regular season. To see it all pay off is so exciting, and I can't wait to get back to Long Island."

Maryland beat BC, 16-13, for last year's national championship. The teams will now meet next Friday at Stony Brook's Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium for the right to play for this year's title. The game will be televised via ESPN3 or on mobile devices via the WatchESPN app. The start time has not yet been determined.

Players Mentioned

Sam Apuzzo

Dempsey Arsenault

Tess Chandler

Lauren Daly

Kaileen Hart

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