Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Katsampes
Eagles Achieving Dreams By Earning Accolades
May 21, 2017 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
First-ever Final Four berth awaits at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro
When every season begins, teams harbor dreams of playing for the ultimate prize. They dream of national championships, of ending the postseason's very last game with a victory. It signifies the top of the mountain, the cup from which so few get to drink. It's the final aspiration, and it's the wildest of dreams.
Boston College's lacrosse team began its 2017 season as every other program did, with the same beautiful hope of becoming a championship-caliber team. By virtue of their 20-14 victory on Saturday against seventh-ranked Southern California, the program is now just that: advancing to its first-ever Final Four next weekend, which happens to be set for Gillette Stadium.
"It was a great game, and I'm really proud of our girls," head coach Acacia Walker said. "USC is a team that you have to be excellent to beat, and I give them so much credit. I'm really proud of how we played together, how we overcame challenges. It's a great day."
That they're advancing is no mistake or fluke. The Eagles dominated the Trojans for the better part of their Elite Eight matchup. USC, the second-best defense in the nation, gave up more goals than ever before in its program's history. Along the way, BC scored goals in bunches. They scored three goals in three minutes to open up a 3-1 lead, then used two goals in one minute to open a 6-2 advantage. As they went on dominant swathes of the game, it looked - at times - like the Eagles would run away with a rout.
Except USC never rolled over. When they were down 3-0, they scored to avoid a four-goal deficit. When they were down 7-2, they got the all important "next one." Down 9-3, they scored twice, including one with seven seconds left.
In the second half, it was more of the same. Though they never tied BC, the Trojans just kept coming, meaning the Eagles couldn't sit back and coast into the national semifinal. They had to continue to earn it against a tough, gritty, talented opponent.
"They run a disciplined zone, and they have the right players in the right spots," Walker said. "They are really well-coached, and they run the right plays. I just think there's a lot of strategy out there; they're well-coached, they're disciplined, and they've bought in (to their system). It's probably the best zone we've seen all year."
"We're taught never to be comfortable," junior attack Kenzie Kent said. "Even if we're up by four or five, we keep saying that we have to get the next goal. That's especially when you're in the playoffs because anyone can go on a run. There's no comfort zone, and that's something Acacia taught us."
In the end, the Eagles are one step closer to achieving their greatest dream. It's a step taken as a team, one that bonds players together forever. It's the first time Boston College will compete in the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Final Four, something that has a very real undercurrent to their roster.
"I think that we have leaders that are from every single age group," said senior attack Kate Weeks. "As a senior, we keep saying that we want to have another week. We don't want to leave each other. I couldn't imagine leaving BC this week and not being with my teammates. That's what it comes down to."
Though Navy denied them a third game against North Carolina, the Eagles will head down I-95 next week in search of a national championship. They'll play those Midshipmen who defeated the Tar Heels, 16-14, in Chapel Hill. And though it's a virtual home game for the Eagles, nothing is guaranteed at this point in the season. Nobody makes a national semifinal by accident, and anyone playing at this level is just as capable as anyone of winning the ultimate championship prize.
"It's new, and it's going to be really new for us," junior attack Kaileen Hart said. We're going to have to focus on tackling on the game. We'll take the fans and receive all of that, but we just have to focus on the next game."
The Eagles and Middies will meet on Gillette Stadium's turf on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in the second leg of the national semifinal. No. 1 overall seed Maryland will play in the earlier semifinal against the winner of Sunday's Princeton-Penn State game. The first game will be at 5 p.m. Both games are set to be broadcast live on ESPN3.Â
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Boston College's lacrosse team began its 2017 season as every other program did, with the same beautiful hope of becoming a championship-caliber team. By virtue of their 20-14 victory on Saturday against seventh-ranked Southern California, the program is now just that: advancing to its first-ever Final Four next weekend, which happens to be set for Gillette Stadium.
"It was a great game, and I'm really proud of our girls," head coach Acacia Walker said. "USC is a team that you have to be excellent to beat, and I give them so much credit. I'm really proud of how we played together, how we overcame challenges. It's a great day."
That they're advancing is no mistake or fluke. The Eagles dominated the Trojans for the better part of their Elite Eight matchup. USC, the second-best defense in the nation, gave up more goals than ever before in its program's history. Along the way, BC scored goals in bunches. They scored three goals in three minutes to open up a 3-1 lead, then used two goals in one minute to open a 6-2 advantage. As they went on dominant swathes of the game, it looked - at times - like the Eagles would run away with a rout.
Except USC never rolled over. When they were down 3-0, they scored to avoid a four-goal deficit. When they were down 7-2, they got the all important "next one." Down 9-3, they scored twice, including one with seven seconds left.
In the second half, it was more of the same. Though they never tied BC, the Trojans just kept coming, meaning the Eagles couldn't sit back and coast into the national semifinal. They had to continue to earn it against a tough, gritty, talented opponent.
"They run a disciplined zone, and they have the right players in the right spots," Walker said. "They are really well-coached, and they run the right plays. I just think there's a lot of strategy out there; they're well-coached, they're disciplined, and they've bought in (to their system). It's probably the best zone we've seen all year."
"We're taught never to be comfortable," junior attack Kenzie Kent said. "Even if we're up by four or five, we keep saying that we have to get the next goal. That's especially when you're in the playoffs because anyone can go on a run. There's no comfort zone, and that's something Acacia taught us."
In the end, the Eagles are one step closer to achieving their greatest dream. It's a step taken as a team, one that bonds players together forever. It's the first time Boston College will compete in the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Final Four, something that has a very real undercurrent to their roster.
"I think that we have leaders that are from every single age group," said senior attack Kate Weeks. "As a senior, we keep saying that we want to have another week. We don't want to leave each other. I couldn't imagine leaving BC this week and not being with my teammates. That's what it comes down to."
Though Navy denied them a third game against North Carolina, the Eagles will head down I-95 next week in search of a national championship. They'll play those Midshipmen who defeated the Tar Heels, 16-14, in Chapel Hill. And though it's a virtual home game for the Eagles, nothing is guaranteed at this point in the season. Nobody makes a national semifinal by accident, and anyone playing at this level is just as capable as anyone of winning the ultimate championship prize.
"It's new, and it's going to be really new for us," junior attack Kaileen Hart said. We're going to have to focus on tackling on the game. We'll take the fans and receive all of that, but we just have to focus on the next game."
The Eagles and Middies will meet on Gillette Stadium's turf on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in the second leg of the national semifinal. No. 1 overall seed Maryland will play in the earlier semifinal against the winner of Sunday's Princeton-Penn State game. The first game will be at 5 p.m. Both games are set to be broadcast live on ESPN3.Â
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