Boston College Athletics
Dominance Asserted In NCAA Victory
May 13, 2019 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
Eagles followed an NCAA Tournament script to advance to next week.
Regardless of sport, the NCAA Tournament always seems to follow a number of different scripts. There's always one Cinderella that goes on an unexpected run, and it's usually matched by an underrated team that outperforms its seeding. A top contender might stare down adversity before ultimately asserting itself, but one of those potential top crops will wow onlookers with absolute dominance.
On Sunday, Boston College broke through with that latter. The second-seeded Eagles scored 11 unanswered first half goals to take a 14-4 over the Colorado Buffaloes, racing away with a 21-9 victory in their NCAA Second Round game.
"We just practiced staying really steady," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "Colorado is a really good team, and we knew they would be excited for the playoffs. But we had to refocus on the X's and O's and commit to the game plan even though (the opening of the game) was tight. It wound up working out."
Colorado entered the weekend as a potentially-intriguing national contender. The Buffaloes only went 10-7 during the season but went 8-2 in the Pac-12. The team's roster combined players from lacrosse hotbeds in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland with locally-mined players from the west, and coming east gave BC's regional bracket a flair of the unknown. CU's win over Dartmouth proved the team to be anything but a fluke, and the momentum carried over into the opening minutes against the powerhouse Eagles.
Once the game settled down, though, it became a BC exhibition built by two weeks of preparation. The Eagles hadn't played a game in almost two weeks, and the extra time allowed the team to clean up its preparation after the disappointing loss to North Carolina in the conference final. They elevated their energy after the early 3-3 tie score to start and broke it open by going to what worked.
"We worked a lot on transition," Walker said. "We were excited to get those looks. That helped build some of the momentum. I think that energy fed into the seven-settle (on attack)."
The box score reflected how BC went back to basics with what worked. Sam Apuzzo scored two separate hat tricks in the first half en route to a seven-goal performance, and Kenzie Kent added nine points with five assists and four goals. The Eagles outshot the Buffaloes, 20-8, in the first half and held their opponents to 7-of-11 clear attempts in the period. They utterly dominated draw controls, winning 17-of-19 en route to a 23-8 advantage.
"It's really hard when you can't get the ball," Walker said. "The girls that rotate on the draw circle worked harder than they have in their entire lives (over) the last two weeks. I'm happy it paid off.
"(And Sam) is incredible," she said. "She's had a great week of practice. I've never seen (the attack players) work harder than they have the last two weeks. Sam just played with a smile on her face but (retained) that killer instinct. She's a great leader."
The win advances BC to its third consecutive NCAA Quarterfinals appearance and clinches a second-straight home game in the postseason. Last season, the No. 4 Eagles went to overtime before knocking out a previously-undefeated Stony Brook team. This year, the Eagles draw No. 7-seeded Princeton with an opportunity to set up an all-ACC semifinal matchup against either No. 3 North Carolina or No. 6 Virginia.
"I'm so proud of (the team)," Walker said. "It's the playoffs and you can't take anything lightly. We're still trying to improve. It's still one day at a time. (Sunday) was a good one."
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On Sunday, Boston College broke through with that latter. The second-seeded Eagles scored 11 unanswered first half goals to take a 14-4 over the Colorado Buffaloes, racing away with a 21-9 victory in their NCAA Second Round game.
"We just practiced staying really steady," head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "Colorado is a really good team, and we knew they would be excited for the playoffs. But we had to refocus on the X's and O's and commit to the game plan even though (the opening of the game) was tight. It wound up working out."
Colorado entered the weekend as a potentially-intriguing national contender. The Buffaloes only went 10-7 during the season but went 8-2 in the Pac-12. The team's roster combined players from lacrosse hotbeds in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland with locally-mined players from the west, and coming east gave BC's regional bracket a flair of the unknown. CU's win over Dartmouth proved the team to be anything but a fluke, and the momentum carried over into the opening minutes against the powerhouse Eagles.
Once the game settled down, though, it became a BC exhibition built by two weeks of preparation. The Eagles hadn't played a game in almost two weeks, and the extra time allowed the team to clean up its preparation after the disappointing loss to North Carolina in the conference final. They elevated their energy after the early 3-3 tie score to start and broke it open by going to what worked.
"We worked a lot on transition," Walker said. "We were excited to get those looks. That helped build some of the momentum. I think that energy fed into the seven-settle (on attack)."
The box score reflected how BC went back to basics with what worked. Sam Apuzzo scored two separate hat tricks in the first half en route to a seven-goal performance, and Kenzie Kent added nine points with five assists and four goals. The Eagles outshot the Buffaloes, 20-8, in the first half and held their opponents to 7-of-11 clear attempts in the period. They utterly dominated draw controls, winning 17-of-19 en route to a 23-8 advantage.
"It's really hard when you can't get the ball," Walker said. "The girls that rotate on the draw circle worked harder than they have in their entire lives (over) the last two weeks. I'm happy it paid off.
"(And Sam) is incredible," she said. "She's had a great week of practice. I've never seen (the attack players) work harder than they have the last two weeks. Sam just played with a smile on her face but (retained) that killer instinct. She's a great leader."
The win advances BC to its third consecutive NCAA Quarterfinals appearance and clinches a second-straight home game in the postseason. Last season, the No. 4 Eagles went to overtime before knocking out a previously-undefeated Stony Brook team. This year, the Eagles draw No. 7-seeded Princeton with an opportunity to set up an all-ACC semifinal matchup against either No. 3 North Carolina or No. 6 Virginia.
"I'm so proud of (the team)," Walker said. "It's the playoffs and you can't take anything lightly. We're still trying to improve. It's still one day at a time. (Sunday) was a good one."
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