Fall Ball Explodes on Saturday Night at The Heights
October 22, 2018 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
A BC-Northwestern heavyweight battle is slated for Alumni Stadium
In many ways, the last two lacrosse seasons have been a dream both realized and crashed at Boston College. The Eagles advanced to two consecutive national championship games but ultimately ended both 2017 and 2018 in disappointment. Both years saw Cinderella runs through nationally-charged competition, but each ended with the glass slipper falling off as the clock struck midnight.
Lacrosse season officially returns in February, but the team is already preparing for a run with its fall practice. The grind is already well underway, and competition is already fierce. On Saturday, the Eagles will welcome lacrosse's preeminent blue-blood program, Northwestern, for an exhibition game under the lights at Alumni Stadium.
"It's just exciting (to play Northwestern at night)," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "I know that whole crew, and they're going to be a really good team this year. So I'm looking forward for our girls to be pushed by a good group and a strong coach. I know it's going to be exciting for the athletic department, and it's a fall competition that's a chance for us to get better."
The game will offer the Eagles an early look and feel for what will lay ahead in 2019. BC will host the ACC Championships at Alumni Stadium, so a game against the Wildcats offers the athletes a simulation opportunity of potential conditions. Since fall practice has less formal competition, there's a platter of possibilities awaiting the Maroon and Gold.
"We will have the same killer instinct and the same focus (as a regular season game), but we're trying new things and testing new people at new positions," Walker said. "We're going to try new offenses and defenses. (The game) is more about playing together as a team under the lights. It's a chance for us to bring more pride to both BC athletics and BC lacrosse."
It's the right balance between formal competition and informal exhibition. Northwestern earned its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth last year when it earned an at-large bid. The Wildcats then scored 45 goals in its first two rounds, beating Richmond, 24-18, in the First Round before upsetting No. 7 Towson in the Second Round, 21-17. The wins advanced the team to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. Despite rallying from a 6-2 deficit to tie No. 2 North Carolina in the first half, the Tar Heels eliminated the Wildcats with a 19-14 decision.
Northwestern is one of those programs requiring little to no superfluous adjectives. The Wildcats won five straight national championships between 2005-2009, then added two more in 2011 and 2012 after losing to Maryland in 2010. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller is a living legend of the game, and Acacia Walker-Weinstein helped win the first three of those national titles as an assistant on staff between 2005-2008.
"Kelly was a springboard for my entire coaching career," Walker said. "She taught me so much about how to coach, and I'm grateful every day for the opportunity that she gave me. I'm so excited to coach against her, and it'll be a great night."
On the field, BC's autumn is defining itself one day at a time. Harvard hosted the Beanpot at the end of September and offered a look at some early-season non-conference competition. The Eagles followed that up with a Final Four barnstorming tour with road games against both Maryland and James Madison, with a game against Johns Hopkins added for good measure.
On Sunday, following the Northwestern game at Alumni Stadium, the Eagles will rematch the Wildcats along with jamborees against both Syracuse and Dartmouth at Cohasset High School.
It's a grind designed to blend new faces into a program that posted an undefeated regular season in 2018. BC returns nine seniors, including Sam Apuzzo, who won the Tewaaraton Award last year as the best player in college lacrosse. She will once again pair with Dempsey Arsenault. The Apuzzo-Arsenault pair and Kenzie Kent's return forms, on paper, arguably the strongest goal-scoring threat in the nation.
"This is Kenzie's first fall opportunity (with lacrosse)," Walker said. "I think she's having a lot of fun because she's working so hard. She's playing with a lot of young players, so that gives her a chance to work on getting her feet back underneath her."
They will be pushed by a star-studded incoming freshmen class that includes four All-American selections. It's a recruiting class mining the best of the best from lacrosse factory states in New York and Maryland in addition to New England.
"It's an exciting time (for our team)," Walker said. "We have had a unique fall because the freshmen are fitting in nicely. They all work really hard and are really smart. They've elevated the coaching and the expectations. I'm pretty proud of them.
"It's nice to have a new year with new goals," she said. "We are making strategies with a different frame of mind. We can keep the good stuff and tweak some things that will be a little different. We need to be better by a few inches and better by a million miles at the same time."
It creates a constant buzzing around Boston College lacrosse. The last two seasons helped build a family culture around the program, and the entire sport community celebrated the success. Excitement is already building for Saturday's game, and the wave isn't likely to crest and fall before the team returns to Newton Campus next spring.
"I can't believe the response that we've had from club teams and families and the entire world of lacrosse," Walker said. "It's a credit to the families of both the current players and our alumni. They created that environment, and it's been such a positive (for the program). Our alumni network is so tight, and they come back to visit all the time. That's inspirational for our staff and four program. I can't thank Martin Jarmond enough for this opportunity."
The Eagles and Wildcats will play on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on campus at Alumni Stadium. On Sunday, the teams will shift to the South Shore and play as part of the four-team exhibition at Cohasset High School.
Lacrosse season officially returns in February, but the team is already preparing for a run with its fall practice. The grind is already well underway, and competition is already fierce. On Saturday, the Eagles will welcome lacrosse's preeminent blue-blood program, Northwestern, for an exhibition game under the lights at Alumni Stadium.
"It's just exciting (to play Northwestern at night)," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "I know that whole crew, and they're going to be a really good team this year. So I'm looking forward for our girls to be pushed by a good group and a strong coach. I know it's going to be exciting for the athletic department, and it's a fall competition that's a chance for us to get better."
The game will offer the Eagles an early look and feel for what will lay ahead in 2019. BC will host the ACC Championships at Alumni Stadium, so a game against the Wildcats offers the athletes a simulation opportunity of potential conditions. Since fall practice has less formal competition, there's a platter of possibilities awaiting the Maroon and Gold.
"We will have the same killer instinct and the same focus (as a regular season game), but we're trying new things and testing new people at new positions," Walker said. "We're going to try new offenses and defenses. (The game) is more about playing together as a team under the lights. It's a chance for us to bring more pride to both BC athletics and BC lacrosse."
It's the right balance between formal competition and informal exhibition. Northwestern earned its 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth last year when it earned an at-large bid. The Wildcats then scored 45 goals in its first two rounds, beating Richmond, 24-18, in the First Round before upsetting No. 7 Towson in the Second Round, 21-17. The wins advanced the team to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. Despite rallying from a 6-2 deficit to tie No. 2 North Carolina in the first half, the Tar Heels eliminated the Wildcats with a 19-14 decision.
Northwestern is one of those programs requiring little to no superfluous adjectives. The Wildcats won five straight national championships between 2005-2009, then added two more in 2011 and 2012 after losing to Maryland in 2010. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller is a living legend of the game, and Acacia Walker-Weinstein helped win the first three of those national titles as an assistant on staff between 2005-2008.
"Kelly was a springboard for my entire coaching career," Walker said. "She taught me so much about how to coach, and I'm grateful every day for the opportunity that she gave me. I'm so excited to coach against her, and it'll be a great night."
On the field, BC's autumn is defining itself one day at a time. Harvard hosted the Beanpot at the end of September and offered a look at some early-season non-conference competition. The Eagles followed that up with a Final Four barnstorming tour with road games against both Maryland and James Madison, with a game against Johns Hopkins added for good measure.
On Sunday, following the Northwestern game at Alumni Stadium, the Eagles will rematch the Wildcats along with jamborees against both Syracuse and Dartmouth at Cohasset High School.
It's a grind designed to blend new faces into a program that posted an undefeated regular season in 2018. BC returns nine seniors, including Sam Apuzzo, who won the Tewaaraton Award last year as the best player in college lacrosse. She will once again pair with Dempsey Arsenault. The Apuzzo-Arsenault pair and Kenzie Kent's return forms, on paper, arguably the strongest goal-scoring threat in the nation.
"This is Kenzie's first fall opportunity (with lacrosse)," Walker said. "I think she's having a lot of fun because she's working so hard. She's playing with a lot of young players, so that gives her a chance to work on getting her feet back underneath her."
They will be pushed by a star-studded incoming freshmen class that includes four All-American selections. It's a recruiting class mining the best of the best from lacrosse factory states in New York and Maryland in addition to New England.
"It's an exciting time (for our team)," Walker said. "We have had a unique fall because the freshmen are fitting in nicely. They all work really hard and are really smart. They've elevated the coaching and the expectations. I'm pretty proud of them.
"It's nice to have a new year with new goals," she said. "We are making strategies with a different frame of mind. We can keep the good stuff and tweak some things that will be a little different. We need to be better by a few inches and better by a million miles at the same time."
It creates a constant buzzing around Boston College lacrosse. The last two seasons helped build a family culture around the program, and the entire sport community celebrated the success. Excitement is already building for Saturday's game, and the wave isn't likely to crest and fall before the team returns to Newton Campus next spring.
"I can't believe the response that we've had from club teams and families and the entire world of lacrosse," Walker said. "It's a credit to the families of both the current players and our alumni. They created that environment, and it's been such a positive (for the program). Our alumni network is so tight, and they come back to visit all the time. That's inspirational for our staff and four program. I can't thank Martin Jarmond enough for this opportunity."
The Eagles and Wildcats will play on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on campus at Alumni Stadium. On Sunday, the teams will shift to the South Shore and play as part of the four-team exhibition at Cohasset High School.
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