Lacrosse Team Ready to Write New Chapter

Four goals shy of history will not be any sort of rallying cry for the Boston College lacrosse team.

Despite that being the distance between them and the program's first National Championship last May, the Eagles are putting last season's successful run in the rearview and focusing on the road ahead, which they feel will be paved with greater achievements if their focus remains true.

"We don't want last year to be defining us this year," said redshirt senior Tess Chandler, one of three captains this season. "We're a new team, with new players, with new strengths. We're focusing on the roots, getting back to who we are, who is this team and what are we going to write in the history books for this season. We wrote off last year. We're looking forward to finding us, as a team, for this year."

"It's so literal and simple - you don't talk about the year before," head coach Acacia Walker, now in her sixth season at the helm, succinctly stated.

The main reason for that is because there is so much to be excited about as the start to a new season nears.

For one, the Eagles return twenty-one players to the mix, including IWLCA first team All-American and All-ACC first team attacker Sam Apuzzo and second team All-American and All-ACC defenseman Elizabeth Miller.

They will also benefit greatly from the leadership of seniors Carly Bell and Kaileen Hart, who alongside Chandler will continue to round themselves out for the greater good in their new roles as the team captains.

"I think the leaders on the team are figuring out how their strengths fit together," said Walker, the reigning Division 1 IWLCA National Coach of the Year. "It's very important…We're working on that, empowering our girls. What makes you unique, makes you a very special leader. Bringing together the leadership is a main mission."

On paper, one of the biggest strengths for the Eagles looks to be an offense that returns three of their top four scorers from a year ago, including senior Kenzie Kent who was third on the team with 77 points (39 goals, 38 assists), despite playing in only 12 games.

Walker knows full well that numbers and roles don't transfer but hopes the addition of four-time All-American Kayla Treanor to her staff as an assistant will help this year's group up front transition smoothly.

"It's not what I see when I look on paper." the Eagles head coach said. "We have to train a lot of new players, we have emerging leaders. Sam (Apuzzo) is in a different role than she was in last year, so is Kaileen (Hart). It's a totally new group, but I'm so excited because we have Kayla Treanor as our assistant coach, the best player in the world. Who is better than to oversee all the new changes and help with all the development?"

On the back end, junior Lauren Daly returns to the cage after appearing in 23 games as the Eagles goalie a year ago.

In front of her stands a highly experienced defensive unit led by Bell and Miller, and a midfield group that is poised to produce some breakout players for the program.

"Our defense is led by amazing players, namely Carly Bell who is our captain this year. They're a tight-knit group and are all, for the most part, juniors and seniors," Chandler said. "Midfield going forward we have Dempsey (Arsenault) who is an emerging leader and was great for us this fall in preseason."

Another stacked schedule stands in front of the Eagles, starting with an ACC battle at Notre Dame on February 10^th to kick things off.

The Eagles enter the new campaign ranked sixth in the nation by Inside Lacrosse, and after last season's run to the National Championship game, they know they enter with a larger target than usual on their backs, but gladly accept as they too target larger things in 2018.

"We always have a target because we're in the ACC," Walker said. "We're kind of used to it. We don't have easy teams on our schedule and we're used to being hunted by all the ACC teams. It's not a foreign feeling for our girls, which is a good thing. But is the target bigger? Absolutely."

"Obviously, it's a goal of ours to make it to the National Championship again and obviously win., but I think we're focusing more on the smaller milestones - our first home win or our team chemistry or developing our freshman," Chandler explained. "I think it's better for us to focus on what we can control, in the now, and how to get better by the little things…We're in great shape and we're in a really good spot to take on Notre Dame in sixteen days. They're in the back of our mind in every single drill that we do."

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Players Mentioned

Sam Apuzzo

Carly Bell

Tess Chandler

Lauren Daly

Kaileen Hart

Kenzie Kent

Elizabeth Miller

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