Courtesy: Boston University Athletic Communications
BOSTON - The No. 6/7 Boston University lacrosse team broke open a second-half deadlock by scoring the game's final eight goals to post a 16-8 victory over No. 13 New Hampshire in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field. Junior Sarah Dalton matched a career high with six goals, including four in the late run, to help the Terriers advance to the quarterfinal round for just the second time in program history.
The seventh-seeded Terriers will travel to face second-seeded Penn - a 16-7 winner over Colgate - in a quarterfinal match-up on Saturday, May 17. With the win, BU improves to 18-2 on the year, matching the school record for victories set in 2005, and extends its program-record win streak to 15 games. UNH ends its season with a record of 13-6.
Junior Steph Walker turned in a strong performance, matching career bests in both goals (3) and points (4). Sophomore Xan Weitzel had two goals and two assists, while senior Lauren Morton and sophomore Traci Landy each recorded a pair of goals and an assist.
UNH got two-goal performances from junior Sarah Von Bargen, senior Ashley Crook and senior Maureen Wark.
Sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Klein made seven saves for the Terriers, while senior Ashley Milley made four stops in goal for the Wildcats.
The two conference rivals had met twice before this season, with the Terriers claiming a one-goal win on both occasions. Sunday's contest certainly felt like it would also come down to the wire, as the two teams were tied or separated by a single goal for 40 of the game's first 42 minutes of play.
After the teams played deadlocked defense for the opening 10 minutes, Crook netted the ball to give the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage. Weitzel answered back with 14:32 remaining in the first half, taking a pass on the left side of goal from freshman Alyssa Kovach off a free-position opportunity and slotting it home. Dalton gave the Terriers their first lead with 13:59 left in the half, but New Hampshire responded with three consecutive goals.
The teams traded blows throughout the remainder of the first stanza, with BU netting the final two goals of the half to head into the break tied at 5-5.
The second half opened with the same pace, as both sides played tight defense and traded goals. Dalton broke the 8-8 tie with 19:14 left in regulation off a feed from Weitzel and gave the Terriers their first multi-goal lead less than two minutes later.
Walker followed suit with back-to-back goals that came nine minutes apart before Dalton capped her day with consecutive goals once again, resulting in a 14-8 lead with 4:54 to play. Morton and Landy tacked on the final two goals of the run to seal the victory.
The BU defense helped the team to an advantage in ground balls, collecting 16 to New Hampshire's nine. The Terriers also outshot the Wildcats 31-17, but fell short in draw controls, losing the battle 15-11. Five of BU's draw controls belonged to senior co-captain Molly Collins, who also snatched up three ground balls and caused four turnovers.