Boston College Athletics
Here They Go Again
February 22, 2019 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
Record-breaking week shows how the lacrosse team isn't going anywhere.
A team ranked No. 1 in the nation in its sport will always draw its opponent's best effort. The opportunity to play the sport's perceived best gives the game a special aura, and the top-ranked squad knows how every opponent prepares for the chance to knock it from its perch. So when Boston College rolled into Syracuse for its conference opener against the No. 10/11 Orange, head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein and her Eagles knew they would be in for an old-fashioned ACC battle.
The ensuing game vaulted even those expectations, however, and became the season's first instant classic. The home team opened a 7-2 lead, only to witness a furious comeback to within two before halftime. In the second half, BC broke through, taking the lead and withstanding the challenge from a worthy competitor en route to a 14-12 victory.
A few days later, after BC rolled to a 25-14 win over UMass, the college lacrosse world reminded itself of two key points. First, BC was starting to officially be back. Second, the Eagles never really went anywhere, the result of a "day-by-day" mindset.
"I saw a lot of consistency in the preparation and in the focus (of our team)," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "We had one game under our belt going into Syracuse, so we could anticipate a few more things. We had a little bit better focus (than the game against Boston University) because we had that (experience)."
The Syracuse game itself opened up with the teams trading goals before a four-goal flourish across four minutes of clock time, pushing the Orange to a 5-1 lead. Nicole Levy scored twice for Syracuse in that stretch, including one strike as the shot clock wound down. BC's Dempsey Arsenault scored less than a minute after Syracuse to stop the momentum, but the Eagles drew no closer and surrendered two more goals for a 7-2 deficit before eight minutes remained in the half.
BC responded with a confidence built by playing in these conditions in past years. Sam Apuzzo completed a first half hat trick with two goals in the next three minutes, and Taylor Walker's first goal of the game drew the Eagles to within two as the first half drew to a close. That lead wouldn't last much longer than the start of the second as goals by Arsenault, Sheila Reitano and Cara Urbank tied the game in the first five minutes of the half. BC ran its own momentum on Syracuse from there, first by taking a 9-8 lead and then by creating a two-goal lead of its own behind Apuzzo.
Syracuse nearly tied the game with two goals when BC led, 11-8, but the Eagle attack answered the Orange at every turn, building an eventual 14-10 lead. Syracuse would score two late goals to cut within two, but it wasn't enough to topple the Eagles.
It was a monumental win for the Eagles for a number of reasons. The first conference win breaks the ice of the ultra-competitive ACC slate, and it came at the expense of a rival that's a very good team. It earned the first hallmark victory for the team's potential season-long resume, and it came in the second game of the season.
For the fourth straight year, BC opened the season with a conference game within the first three games of the season, and for the second time in that stretch, the Eagles defeated the Orange. Still, there's something that's not old hat about the experience.
"I think we play who we play," Walker-Weinstein said. "We just have to try to be our very best no matter who we're playing, no matter when we're playing."
That best included a new goals record set by Apuzzo. She found the back of the net seven times against Syracuse, netting a hat trick for the fifth straight game, dating back to last season. She gave BC the lead with her fourth goal in the second half, then added an insurance goal with her fifth, less than three minutes later, to break the program goals record set by Covie Stanwick.
She finished the game with 199 career goals after scoring two more. On Thursday, she became the first player in program history to break the 200-goal mark when she scored four times against the Minutewomen. It was part of a performance that included two goals by eight different Eagles, and it broke the program record for most goals in a single game that was set against UMass-Lowell in 2015.
It went beyond the flashy score, though. Lauren Daly set a new career-high for saves in a game when she had 12 against Syracuse, and she added five more in the win over UMass.
What they contributed beyond the stat sheet, though, went much deeper. In a big time game against a big time opponent, BC saw two of its biggest leaders rise to the proverbial occasion.
"I saw a confident sense of urgency from (Sam and Lauren's preparation) against Syracuse," Walker-Weinstein said. "There's no coincidence that it carried over into Saturday. I told both of them that I didn't care about the stats because I loved their leadership and that sense of urgency."
The comeback provided the necessary kick for the team's ever-growing confidence. The Eagles returned home from Syracuse to immediately attack preparation for UMass, and they exploded for one of the finest performances in program history, which is saying something given the team's run to national prominence over the past few years. Now it's back to the lab with a quick turnaround before a home game against Harvard on Saturday and another chance to gain superiority within the Commonwealth against an in-state rival.
"We (couldn't think) about Harvard (until we played UMass)," Walker-Weinstein said. "UMass is always an aggressive, strong team that's really well-coached. We (had) to focus on our practice to get as much as possible that we can get done. We know we're going to have to bring it."
The ensuing game vaulted even those expectations, however, and became the season's first instant classic. The home team opened a 7-2 lead, only to witness a furious comeback to within two before halftime. In the second half, BC broke through, taking the lead and withstanding the challenge from a worthy competitor en route to a 14-12 victory.
A few days later, after BC rolled to a 25-14 win over UMass, the college lacrosse world reminded itself of two key points. First, BC was starting to officially be back. Second, the Eagles never really went anywhere, the result of a "day-by-day" mindset.
"I saw a lot of consistency in the preparation and in the focus (of our team)," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "We had one game under our belt going into Syracuse, so we could anticipate a few more things. We had a little bit better focus (than the game against Boston University) because we had that (experience)."
The Syracuse game itself opened up with the teams trading goals before a four-goal flourish across four minutes of clock time, pushing the Orange to a 5-1 lead. Nicole Levy scored twice for Syracuse in that stretch, including one strike as the shot clock wound down. BC's Dempsey Arsenault scored less than a minute after Syracuse to stop the momentum, but the Eagles drew no closer and surrendered two more goals for a 7-2 deficit before eight minutes remained in the half.
BC responded with a confidence built by playing in these conditions in past years. Sam Apuzzo completed a first half hat trick with two goals in the next three minutes, and Taylor Walker's first goal of the game drew the Eagles to within two as the first half drew to a close. That lead wouldn't last much longer than the start of the second as goals by Arsenault, Sheila Reitano and Cara Urbank tied the game in the first five minutes of the half. BC ran its own momentum on Syracuse from there, first by taking a 9-8 lead and then by creating a two-goal lead of its own behind Apuzzo.
Syracuse nearly tied the game with two goals when BC led, 11-8, but the Eagle attack answered the Orange at every turn, building an eventual 14-10 lead. Syracuse would score two late goals to cut within two, but it wasn't enough to topple the Eagles.
It was a monumental win for the Eagles for a number of reasons. The first conference win breaks the ice of the ultra-competitive ACC slate, and it came at the expense of a rival that's a very good team. It earned the first hallmark victory for the team's potential season-long resume, and it came in the second game of the season.
For the fourth straight year, BC opened the season with a conference game within the first three games of the season, and for the second time in that stretch, the Eagles defeated the Orange. Still, there's something that's not old hat about the experience.
"I think we play who we play," Walker-Weinstein said. "We just have to try to be our very best no matter who we're playing, no matter when we're playing."
That best included a new goals record set by Apuzzo. She found the back of the net seven times against Syracuse, netting a hat trick for the fifth straight game, dating back to last season. She gave BC the lead with her fourth goal in the second half, then added an insurance goal with her fifth, less than three minutes later, to break the program goals record set by Covie Stanwick.
She finished the game with 199 career goals after scoring two more. On Thursday, she became the first player in program history to break the 200-goal mark when she scored four times against the Minutewomen. It was part of a performance that included two goals by eight different Eagles, and it broke the program record for most goals in a single game that was set against UMass-Lowell in 2015.
It went beyond the flashy score, though. Lauren Daly set a new career-high for saves in a game when she had 12 against Syracuse, and she added five more in the win over UMass.
What they contributed beyond the stat sheet, though, went much deeper. In a big time game against a big time opponent, BC saw two of its biggest leaders rise to the proverbial occasion.
"I saw a confident sense of urgency from (Sam and Lauren's preparation) against Syracuse," Walker-Weinstein said. "There's no coincidence that it carried over into Saturday. I told both of them that I didn't care about the stats because I loved their leadership and that sense of urgency."
The comeback provided the necessary kick for the team's ever-growing confidence. The Eagles returned home from Syracuse to immediately attack preparation for UMass, and they exploded for one of the finest performances in program history, which is saying something given the team's run to national prominence over the past few years. Now it's back to the lab with a quick turnaround before a home game against Harvard on Saturday and another chance to gain superiority within the Commonwealth against an in-state rival.
"We (couldn't think) about Harvard (until we played UMass)," Walker-Weinstein said. "UMass is always an aggressive, strong team that's really well-coached. We (had) to focus on our practice to get as much as possible that we can get done. We know we're going to have to bring it."
Players Mentioned
A
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
GK
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse
M
/ Lacrosse#24 Baseball Defeats Northeastern in Beanpot Championship (April 14, 2026)
Wednesday, April 15
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 12, 2026)
Tuesday, April 14
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 11,2026
Saturday, April 11
Football: Zeke Moore Media Availability (April 10, 2026)
Friday, April 10
