Women’s Lacrosse Looks to Rebound from Recent Slide

Sofia Robins (SED’16) (right) has been a force with ground balls, leading the team with 13 on the season. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

The women’s lacrosse Terriers are hoping for a change of fortune when they take on Lafayette this Saturday on Nickerson Field. The team currently has a 4-5 record, losing three of the last four games. In those four contests, they were outscored 47-30, with their lone win coming in overtime in a matchup against Holy Cross on March 18. The recent drawback has left head coach Liz Robertshaw scrambling.

“You don’t want to be inconsistent,” says Robertshaw. “I think that’s something that we are addressing as a team. As a staff, we are thinking of ways we can get better, more consistent. We know those inconsistencies have been there in terms of our on-and-off field play and leadership at times, and we’re trying to work on that right now.”

One of the team’s greatest strengths this season has been attacker Mallory Collins (COM’16). The redshirt junior, with 23 goals, leads the team in points, and her 2.62 goals per game average is fourth best in the Patriot League. Collins is responsible for 28 percent of the team’s 81 goals in the nine games played.

“Mallory is a great force on our offense,” says goalie Caroline Meegan (SMG’17). “We want to get her the ball, and we know if we get her a ball on the inside, she’s going to rip a shot basically anywhere and it’s going to go in. She’s got great hands and can get the ball anywhere she wants it.”

Lindsay Weiner (SAR’15) has been equally valuable on the field. Last year, the attacker led the team in points (42) and assists (20) and was named to the All–Patriot League Second Team. She has played equally well this season, again leading the team in assists (8). In addition to her playing, coaches and players say her leadership skills have been immeasurable.

“I think she’s really stepped up,” says Meegan. “Even from last year, Lindsay’s been taking more of a leadership role on the offense, dictating and really seeing those opportunities to be a leader. She’s been great to play with, and whenever she has something to say, we listen.”

Rounding out the Terriers’ strong offense is midfielder Ally Adams (CAS’16), who is second in points (19), already exceeding her total from last season (15). She is also second in goals (16) and shots (36) and has demonstrated a knack for constantly being around the ball.

The Terriers also boast some of the strongest goaltending in the league this season. Averaging nine saves per game, Meegan not only leads the Patriot League, but is tied for 13th best nationally. Her save percentage (.493) is nearly nine points better than last year’s (.409). The strides she’s made in just a year have earned kudos from her teammates.

“She’s been awesome this year,” says Collins. “Even last year, Caroline stepped up in a big way for us. But I think this year she took it upon herself to take control of the defense. I mean, she’s a great goalie making great saves, and her voice has been really good this year; we just love what we’re seeing.”

When the Terriers take on Lafayette Saturday, they’ll encounter a team that has struggled with a porous offense: the Leopards’ 7.2 goals per game have currently rendered them last in the Patriot League. Despite that, BU will encounter a dangerous opponent in attacker Kirsten Wilhelmsen, who has amassed 17 goals in just seven games, good for sixth in the Patriot League.

“They’re a good team,” says Robertshaw. “They’re a lot better than their record and the stats would say. We know we have a tough opponent in front of us, but we face everyone with the same attitude. Kirsten’s a good player, but we’ve got a good goalie, so I think we’ll be fine.”

At times this season, the Terriers have looked like they could beat just about anyone. Unfortunately, other times, they haven’t seemed like they belong in the same division. Collins says team members know they have to put together a string of good games to have any shot at making a deep postseason run.

“I think we just need to continue getting better every day at practice, in terms of pushing ourselves,” she says. “We are working hard to get to our goal of making the Patriot League finals and going forward. We need to play better from here on out. If we do that, we’ll definitely have a chance.”

The Boston University women’s lacrosse team will host Lafayette College on Saturday, March 28, at 1 p.m., at Nickerson Field, 285 Babcock St. Tickets are $5 for the general public, $2 for BU students, faculty, and staff, and free with a sports pass.

Emmanuel Gomez can be reached at mannygo@bu.edu.