Boston College Athletics
Loss is Bitter but Eagles Retain Pride in Defeat
May 28, 2018 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
It's never easy to lose that game, but it highlights just how far the Eagles have come.
A national championship seldom can live up to its hype of pageantry. A one-game playoff has too many wild cards involved, and the score can often become lopsided due to too many differing factors. Even the close games end with one team ultimately pulling away on the scoreboard because the opponent takes chances and creates opportunities it might otherwise make.
The 2018 women's lacrosse title game didn't just live up to that hype; it completely obliterated it. A tie score at halftime turned into a second half of runs, one where James Madison threatened to put Boston College in its rearview mirror only to see the Eagles come storming back. Even the game's last two minutes, which can sometimes become a clock-killing exhibition, somehow became more frenetic.
It was a game worthy of the combatants on the field and one where both teams earned more respect regardless of the score. That might come as little consolation to the Eagles, who walked away without the championship trophy after losing, 16-15, to the No. 3 Dukes.
"It's a disappointing day for our program, but JMU is an incredible team," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "They came out and fought really hard for 60 minutes. I think my girls did a good job of responding and breaking up the momentum of the game, but we came up short in the end. I'm so proud of what our program has achieved, and we will not count that 'short' at all. (We give) so much credit to JMU and Shelly (Klaes-Bawcombe). They're amazing, very classy, very strong competitors."
Walker-Weinstein had clearly conflicted emotions. On one hand, a loss in the national championship game for the second straight year is a clear disappointment. BC's undefeated season and run to Sunday defined the end of the year, and it elevated women's lacrosse to the top of Chestnut Hill. The Eagles stood alone as one of the best in the nation all year, and the NCAA Tournament seemed more like "team of destiny" than "happy to be here."
That BC became that team is a clear testament to all of its accomplishments, though, and the pride in that became evident. There's a round-robin of sorts among the best teams. The best play the best during the season at various points, and all four Final Four teams all intermingled at some point. BC split with North Carolina, who lost to James Madison both in the beginning of the year and in the Final Four. The Dukes' only loss came against Maryland, who in turn beat BC in last year's national championship but lost in this year's semifinal.
The Eagles are very clearly in that sorority, a tribute to the work and success of the coaches, players and administration.
"I'm so proud of getting (to the Final Four)," Tess Chandler said. "It's hard. It's hard to get here for one year but to come back, it's really special. I'm so grateful that I got the opportunity to play in the Final Four. It's a dream come true. Just looking back, I just say I'm so proud of getting here even if we didn't have the end result that we want."
It's hard to tell if JMU would win again in a rematch, and it's impossible to count the split if it played BC 100 times. But in a one-game playoff, with all of the differing factors, the Dukes simply did more and played better on that day. They're bringing a trophy back to Virginia because they deserve it.
They rattled off eight second half goals against a team known for playing stronger after halftime, including four in a row over a 10-minute span. Haley Warden's two goals in three minutes with under 10 minutes remaining gave the Dukes a three-goal lead late. Her goal with one minute left answered a bell that nobody had ever answered before and stunted the last BC rally.
But the Eagles never quit. They scored twice in a minute to pull back within a goal with four minutes remaining. Kaileen Hart's goal with 2:44 left made things even more interesting, creating a one-goal lead late. And even with 22 seconds left, down two goals, Chandler scored No. 50 on the season to force a last-ditch draw control essentially for the national title.
"They made some good stops and capitalized on our mistakes," Chandler said. "I think we could have showed more poise in those possessions, but they did a great job when we had a lapse in focus of capitalizing on it and couldn't bounce back.
"The game plan was to wear them down, be poised and wait for layups or the right opportunity," she said. "I think when we struggled was when we jumped the gun on those. Overall it was a very strong zone defense and we could have done a lot of different things better. But we gave it our best shot."
Losing in the national championship game is never easy. The disappointment is a clear contrast against the pride for all that happened. It's a bitter pill, but in the end, it'll be necessary. BC continues to knock on the national championship door, meaning the wonderful pressure will exist for the Eagles; they've become so good that winning is now expected and not just a pleasant surprise.
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The 2018 women's lacrosse title game didn't just live up to that hype; it completely obliterated it. A tie score at halftime turned into a second half of runs, one where James Madison threatened to put Boston College in its rearview mirror only to see the Eagles come storming back. Even the game's last two minutes, which can sometimes become a clock-killing exhibition, somehow became more frenetic.
It was a game worthy of the combatants on the field and one where both teams earned more respect regardless of the score. That might come as little consolation to the Eagles, who walked away without the championship trophy after losing, 16-15, to the No. 3 Dukes.
"It's a disappointing day for our program, but JMU is an incredible team," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "They came out and fought really hard for 60 minutes. I think my girls did a good job of responding and breaking up the momentum of the game, but we came up short in the end. I'm so proud of what our program has achieved, and we will not count that 'short' at all. (We give) so much credit to JMU and Shelly (Klaes-Bawcombe). They're amazing, very classy, very strong competitors."
Walker-Weinstein had clearly conflicted emotions. On one hand, a loss in the national championship game for the second straight year is a clear disappointment. BC's undefeated season and run to Sunday defined the end of the year, and it elevated women's lacrosse to the top of Chestnut Hill. The Eagles stood alone as one of the best in the nation all year, and the NCAA Tournament seemed more like "team of destiny" than "happy to be here."
That BC became that team is a clear testament to all of its accomplishments, though, and the pride in that became evident. There's a round-robin of sorts among the best teams. The best play the best during the season at various points, and all four Final Four teams all intermingled at some point. BC split with North Carolina, who lost to James Madison both in the beginning of the year and in the Final Four. The Dukes' only loss came against Maryland, who in turn beat BC in last year's national championship but lost in this year's semifinal.
The Eagles are very clearly in that sorority, a tribute to the work and success of the coaches, players and administration.
"I'm so proud of getting (to the Final Four)," Tess Chandler said. "It's hard. It's hard to get here for one year but to come back, it's really special. I'm so grateful that I got the opportunity to play in the Final Four. It's a dream come true. Just looking back, I just say I'm so proud of getting here even if we didn't have the end result that we want."
It's hard to tell if JMU would win again in a rematch, and it's impossible to count the split if it played BC 100 times. But in a one-game playoff, with all of the differing factors, the Dukes simply did more and played better on that day. They're bringing a trophy back to Virginia because they deserve it.
They rattled off eight second half goals against a team known for playing stronger after halftime, including four in a row over a 10-minute span. Haley Warden's two goals in three minutes with under 10 minutes remaining gave the Dukes a three-goal lead late. Her goal with one minute left answered a bell that nobody had ever answered before and stunted the last BC rally.
But the Eagles never quit. They scored twice in a minute to pull back within a goal with four minutes remaining. Kaileen Hart's goal with 2:44 left made things even more interesting, creating a one-goal lead late. And even with 22 seconds left, down two goals, Chandler scored No. 50 on the season to force a last-ditch draw control essentially for the national title.
"They made some good stops and capitalized on our mistakes," Chandler said. "I think we could have showed more poise in those possessions, but they did a great job when we had a lapse in focus of capitalizing on it and couldn't bounce back.
"The game plan was to wear them down, be poised and wait for layups or the right opportunity," she said. "I think when we struggled was when we jumped the gun on those. Overall it was a very strong zone defense and we could have done a lot of different things better. But we gave it our best shot."
Losing in the national championship game is never easy. The disappointment is a clear contrast against the pride for all that happened. It's a bitter pill, but in the end, it'll be necessary. BC continues to knock on the national championship door, meaning the wonderful pressure will exist for the Eagles; they've become so good that winning is now expected and not just a pleasant surprise.
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