Boston College
Northwestern
No. 1 Lacrosse Welcomes No. 3 Northwestern in Showdown at Newton
February 28, 2024 | Lacrosse
About the Eagles
Last Time Out
The Eagles were dominant in their ACC opener with a 19-3 win over Pitt on Sunday. BC was clicking on all cylinders on both sides of the field, with the defense coming away with a season-high 12 caused turnovers, 20 ground balls along 15 draw controls. Sydney Scales led the way with a season-best three caused turnovers and four ground balls. Ryan Smith tied the team lead with three draw controls and recorded three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Hunter Roman was one of the three Eagles with multiple CT's, as she had a pair with two GBs. The offense saw eight players score with four registering hat tricks. Kayla Martello and Rachel Clark each scored four goals, while Cassidy Weeks and Emma LoPinto had three. LoPinto also added three ground balls and a caused turnover.  Mckenna Davis tied a season-best with six points thanks to one goal and five helpers.Â
A Win Would
- Give BC a 6-0 record to the season.Â
- Improve to 4-1 in national title rematches.Â
- Win an 18th straight home game.Â
National Title Rematches
The Eagles are 3-1 in national title rematches dating back to 2017, with wins over Maryland (2018 & 2022) and Syracuse. BC's lone loss came last season against UNC.Â
2017 - Lost to Maryland in National Title
2018 - Defeated Maryland in NCAA Semifinals
2018 - Lost to James Madison in NCAA Title
2019 - Didn't play JMU
2019 - Lost to Maryland in National Title
2020 - COVD (didn't happen)
2021 - Beat Syracuse in National Title
2022 - Beat Syracuse in regular-season
2022 - Beat Maryland in semifinals (first time played since 2019 title)Â
2022 - Lost to UNC in title
2023 - Lost to UNC in regular season (later defeated UNC in ACC title)Â Â
Veteran Laden
Eagles with a veteran laden group as 28 players are upperclassmen. Nine of the seniors have been in three title appearances, four with two appearances and nine with one. Eagles have nine seniors and four graduates (three fifth year, one sixth).
By the Numbers
1 - Boston College is the only team in the nation that's in the top five in both offensive efficiency (44.1 percent) and defensive efficiency (16.3 percent) according to Lacrosse Reference.
6 - Davis is four assists away from becoming one of five players in school history with 100 career assists.Â
10 - BC is 41-3 since 2017 when recording at least 10 caused turnovers.Â
11 - Weeks' 11 goals are the most in her career to start the season in five games.Â
250 - B. Smith is one point away from becoming one of eight players in school history with at least 250 points.Â
Causing Chaos
- The defense has just been as impressive this season, allowing just 24 goals in the first five games of the season.
- The Eagles are first in the ACC and second in the nation allowing 4.80 goals per game.Â
- BC is also first in the league and eighth in the nation in save percentage at .547.Â
Scouting Northwestern (3-1, 0-0 B1G)
-Â The defending national champions are 3-1 to start the season, with their lone loss coming against Notre Dame.Â
- Northwestern is coming off a 19-14 win over then-No. 20 Colorado.Â
-Â Erin Coykendall scored five points with one goal and four assists, while Madison Taylor registered seven points with six goals and one helper.Â
-Â Izzy Scane netted seven as well with five scores and two assists.Â
-Â Coykendall leads the team in points with 23 (9 G, 14 A), while Taylor is second with 22 points off 16 goals and six assists.Â
-Â Scane is second with 18 points, and Amonte at 12.Â
-Â Molly Laliberty and Cara Nugent have split time between the cage. Laliberty has a pair of starts with a .404 save percentage and 23 saves. Nugent has a .429 save percentage and nine stops
Series History
The Eagles are 3-4 against Northwestern after falling in the two matchups last season. BC is 2-0 all-time against the Wildcats, with the last win coming in a 18-9 triumph in the 2022 season opener.Â
What's Next
BC returns to action on Sunday inside Fish Field House against Virginia Tech at 11 a.m. Â
