BC Ready For No. 3 North Carolina

Saturday, March 26

Newton, Mass.

1:00 PM

Boston College

North Carolina

Photo by: Mike Gridley

March 24, 2016 | Lacrosse

Eagles look to move to .500 in conference play and seek second victory over top-three team in as many games

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass - After earning its first conference win in an upset of Syracuse last Saturday, the Eagles will go for two-straight against conference opponents when they host No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday, March 26. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 pm at the Newton Campus Lacrosse Field.

No. 3 North Carolina (7-2, 1-0 ACC)
vs. No. 12 Boston College (6-3, 1-2 ACC)

GAME NOTES:

The maroon and gold moved up three spots in this week's IWLCA poll to No. 12 while they saw a surge of five spots to No. 11 in the Nike/Lax Magazine Poll after upsetting then third ranked Syracuse last weekend, 13-8. For the second straight week, there are now nine BC opponents ranked in the top-20 of both the IWLCA and LM polls this week, including six ACC opponents, four of whom are listed in the top-seven of both polls. The nine opponents now listed in the top-20 are the most this season.
In the latest statistics, BC finds itself in the middle of the pack in several conference categories. They are fifth in assists per game (4.67), draw controls per game (13.33) and ground balls per game (16.56). They jumped up one spot in points per game to fourth in conference (16.78) while they have the fourth lowest number of turnovers in the league (13.56) and have the fourth best scoring offense with an average of 12.11 goals per game. Entering the week, Molly Erdle is fourth in the ACC and 17th in the nation for caused turnovers (2.11/game) while Zoe Ochoa's 8.60 goals against average is fifth best, one spot up from last week's stats. Ochoa also sits at sixth in the conference in save percentage (.429), saves (54) and is fourth in the ACC in saves per game (6.00). Freshman Sam Apuzzo is sixth best amongst ACC players in draw controls per game (3.67) while Sarah Mannelly and Caroline Margolis are tied for seventh for most assists for ACC players (12).
North Carolina enters the week with a 7-2 (1-0 ACC) record and riding a four game winning streak after defeating the likes of Northwestern, Elon, Virginia and Albany during its current run. The Tar Heels are ranked third entering the week in the IWLCA, Inside Lacrosse and Lax Mag polls while they have the second highest RPI in the nation. Carolina'a Molly Hendrick ranks second in the ACC in goals per game (3.25) while Marie McCool is tied for eighth (2.38). Aly Messinger is ranked fourth in assists per game (1.38). All three are in the top-10 for points per game in conference play. Defensively, GK Caylee Waters has the fourth best GAA (6.82) while her 5.75 saves per game is fifth best. Sammy Jo Tracy's 8.25 draw controls per game is third best in the league.
Like several ACC opponents, the Tar Heels and Eagles have a storied history. Dating back to their first matchup in 1997, UNC holds the 12-2 advantage in the series all-time. In the latest faceoff in March 2015, BC outlasted the then No. 2 Heels for an overtime 10-9 win in Chapel Hill. Former Eagle Mikaela Rix tallied the OT winner and goalie Zoe Ochoa made a last second save in the pre-sudden death overtime period.
After making 10 saves against Syracuse, junior GK Zoe Ochoa is only eight saves shy of 200 career stops. She would become the ninth goaltender in program history to achieve that total. Sarah Mannelly is two goals shy of fifth place on the BC all-time goals list and seven points shy of fifth place on the BC all-time points list. Caroline Margolis will move into sole possession of sixth place on the career assists list with her next helper.
In the Eagle's victory over Syracuse on March 26, the team earned its second ever win over the Orange, all while holding the No. 3 Orange to a season low eight goals. With two goals, Kate Weeks tallied two goals and bumped her season total to 13, which matched her total from her freshman and sophomore years combined. She, along with Sam Apuzzo and Sarah Mannelly, lead the team in most multi-goal games with five. Following the victory, Sarah Mannelly and Dempsey Arsenault were named ACC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. Mannelly also netted Epoch/LaxMag Player of the Week honors and Sam Apuzzo was named Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Week. With three assists, Caroline Margolis moved into a tie for sixth place in career assists, tying Kristin Igoe (2008-12) with 50 career helpers.

LAST TIME OUT:

Last Saturday, the Eagles defeated Syracuse, 13-8, at the Newton Lacrosse Field for the Eagles second ever win over the Orange. Sarah Mannelly had a game high six points (4G, 2A). She and freshman Dempsey Arsenault received ACC Player of the Weeks accolades while Mannelly was named Epoch/Lacrosse Magazine Player of Week and freshman Sam Apuzzo was awarded Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Week.

NEXT UP:

Following the weekend, the Eagles will be on the road for three straight games. They will be back in action next Saturday, April 2, when they travel to Charlottesville, Va. for a matinee with Virginia. They then travel to Yale April 6 (4 pm) and then to Duke (April 9) to close out the stand. BC is back home on April 12 vs. Dartmouth for a 4 pm showdown.

Throughout the season, make sure to stay up to date with all the Boston College lacrosse news by searching the hashtag #BCEagles and following @BCWlax on Twitter and Instagram.