Defeat Stings but Can't Undo Eagles' Success
May 27, 2019 | Lacrosse, #ForBoston Files
The loss will become a necessary evil on the road to the first title.
When Boston College beat North Carolina, head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein recalled the program's journey to get over the Tar Heel speed bump. There were three straight postseason losses before the Eagles beat UNC in this year's national semifinal, all of which BC recalled after it finally recorded a win.
That win on Friday might have felt like it would have been one hundred years from happening when BC lost in the ACC Tournament, but it eventually happened. It took that long, hard road littered with broken dreams and disappointment before the Eagles could exult in a satisfying victory.
That's probably of little consolation to the team on Monday morning, but that same long, uphill road is now paved for the national championship game. The Eagles lost to Maryland on Sunday, 12-10, in the final game of the 2019 season. It's supremely disappointing, especially since it was the team's third consecutive trip, but it's why this program will celebrate that first national championship one day with more gusto and glory than any other team will understand.
"It's a disappointing day for the program," Walker-Weinstein said. "It was a really good game by Maryland. I'm really proud of my kids. In my opinion, these are (some) of the greatest players to play lacrosse. The team had some really good fight, but I wish I could've done more. I'm proud of the legacy these guys have built."
The whole weekend has been an exercise in parallels to heavyweight boxing championships. Sunday, though, felt starkly different from Friday, which could have been a cinematic superfight straight out of Hollywood. Maryland simply outboxed the Eagles, keeping them at arm's length and circling the ring. BC was never out of the game but could never really complete a comeback because the Terrapins managed to stay one step ahead with an adjustment.
"I needed to have the girls in a different place where we made some different play calls," Walker-Weinstein said. "Maryland's defense is awesome, and (the players) are all awesome. It's hard to beat them and hard to stop them. The girls gave it everything they had, and I'm happy about that."
It was the right team with the right game plan in the right situation. Maryland was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and a team with over a dozen national championships. Coach Cathy Reese had over 300 victories. It's a team littered with talent, and it was the right opponent to prevent the Eagles from ascending to women's lacrosse's hallowed throne.
That's likely of little consolation to the Eagles that Boston College is on that same competitive plane. BC started the decade with three consecutive eight-loss seasons but enters the end of the 2010s without a regular season loss in over two seasons. The Eagles still don't have a postseason trophy, but this graduating class is the most accomplished in program history.
"It's so fun to coach this team, and it's so fun just to be a spectator of their athleticism and teamwork," Walker-Weinstein said. "I think (Sam Apuzzo, Kenzie Kent and Dempsey Arsenault) are three of the players players of all time, and it's been fun to watch them grow and make each other better. They're the most impactful players we've ever had, and they've gotten the program better. Because of that, they'll have a legacy way beyond this afternoon."
That legacy is seen in the future, where BC now looks to sustain its position even as it looks to continually improve. Next year represents the next opportunity for a team that expects itself to compete at a nationally-competitive level with players who will be introduced to a cultural foundation built on a humble excellence rooted in family.
"Boston College wasn't a lacrosse school four years ago," Walker-Weinstein said. "Now it is. Because of them, little girls want to play at BC and the top players in the world want to play at BC. Because of they built, the legacy will live on."
It will go well beyond all of that. Every spring, lacrosse seems to extend the college sports season after graduation. The winter thaws into the first 80 degree day, and it's accompanied by neon green shirts and a block party in the stands. It grows every year at Newton Campus, and this year's continued breakout moved the ACC Championship to Alumni Stadium. Every season and every game seems to bring more people on board the train, but it never outgrows the quaint, intimate atmosphere that the team will ensure never goes away.
"We have thousands of people at our games," she continued. "We've created a brand with the neon shirts. People all over the country have supported this team. Recruiting is fun and we can be a bit more selective, but really it's just what the girls feel for the rest of their lives. They changed the program, the region and the school because of that they've done."
--
That win on Friday might have felt like it would have been one hundred years from happening when BC lost in the ACC Tournament, but it eventually happened. It took that long, hard road littered with broken dreams and disappointment before the Eagles could exult in a satisfying victory.
That's probably of little consolation to the team on Monday morning, but that same long, uphill road is now paved for the national championship game. The Eagles lost to Maryland on Sunday, 12-10, in the final game of the 2019 season. It's supremely disappointing, especially since it was the team's third consecutive trip, but it's why this program will celebrate that first national championship one day with more gusto and glory than any other team will understand.
"It's a disappointing day for the program," Walker-Weinstein said. "It was a really good game by Maryland. I'm really proud of my kids. In my opinion, these are (some) of the greatest players to play lacrosse. The team had some really good fight, but I wish I could've done more. I'm proud of the legacy these guys have built."
The whole weekend has been an exercise in parallels to heavyweight boxing championships. Sunday, though, felt starkly different from Friday, which could have been a cinematic superfight straight out of Hollywood. Maryland simply outboxed the Eagles, keeping them at arm's length and circling the ring. BC was never out of the game but could never really complete a comeback because the Terrapins managed to stay one step ahead with an adjustment.
"I needed to have the girls in a different place where we made some different play calls," Walker-Weinstein said. "Maryland's defense is awesome, and (the players) are all awesome. It's hard to beat them and hard to stop them. The girls gave it everything they had, and I'm happy about that."
It was the right team with the right game plan in the right situation. Maryland was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and a team with over a dozen national championships. Coach Cathy Reese had over 300 victories. It's a team littered with talent, and it was the right opponent to prevent the Eagles from ascending to women's lacrosse's hallowed throne.
That's likely of little consolation to the Eagles that Boston College is on that same competitive plane. BC started the decade with three consecutive eight-loss seasons but enters the end of the 2010s without a regular season loss in over two seasons. The Eagles still don't have a postseason trophy, but this graduating class is the most accomplished in program history.
"It's so fun to coach this team, and it's so fun just to be a spectator of their athleticism and teamwork," Walker-Weinstein said. "I think (Sam Apuzzo, Kenzie Kent and Dempsey Arsenault) are three of the players players of all time, and it's been fun to watch them grow and make each other better. They're the most impactful players we've ever had, and they've gotten the program better. Because of that, they'll have a legacy way beyond this afternoon."
That legacy is seen in the future, where BC now looks to sustain its position even as it looks to continually improve. Next year represents the next opportunity for a team that expects itself to compete at a nationally-competitive level with players who will be introduced to a cultural foundation built on a humble excellence rooted in family.
"Boston College wasn't a lacrosse school four years ago," Walker-Weinstein said. "Now it is. Because of them, little girls want to play at BC and the top players in the world want to play at BC. Because of they built, the legacy will live on."
It will go well beyond all of that. Every spring, lacrosse seems to extend the college sports season after graduation. The winter thaws into the first 80 degree day, and it's accompanied by neon green shirts and a block party in the stands. It grows every year at Newton Campus, and this year's continued breakout moved the ACC Championship to Alumni Stadium. Every season and every game seems to bring more people on board the train, but it never outgrows the quaint, intimate atmosphere that the team will ensure never goes away.
"We have thousands of people at our games," she continued. "We've created a brand with the neon shirts. People all over the country have supported this team. Recruiting is fun and we can be a bit more selective, but really it's just what the girls feel for the rest of their lives. They changed the program, the region and the school because of that they've done."
--
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