Courtesy of Boston University Athletic Communications
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -
The 11th-ranked Boston University lacrosse team saw its 2009 campaign
come to a close with a 20-10 loss to seventh-seeded Syracuse in the
first round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Carrier
Dome. Senior Sarah Dalton scored five goals to lead the Terriers, who end the season with a 15-4 record.
Senior Katie Rowan led the Orange with 11 points on the strength
of five goals and six assists, while classmate Bridget Looney chipped
in four goals. Juniors Halley Quillinan and Christina Dove each added
hat tricks for Syracuse, who improved to 14-4 this season and will
advance to face Maryland in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Junior Traci Landy scored four goals for BU and sophomore Alyssa Kovach accounted for the other Terrier tally. Junior Xan Weitzel tallied three assists and classmate Rachel Klein made six saves between the pipes.
The Terriers netted the opening tally of the game when junior Erica Baumgartner
set up Kovach, but the Orange came back with three straight and never
trailed after that point, taking a 2-1 lead with 25:45 to go in the
first.
Midway through the first half, Dalton and Landy struck 30
seconds apart to cut the deficit to two goals, but Syracuse scored
three straight after that before Dalton struck again.
BU scored six goals on seven shots in the first half, but
Syracuse held a 14-7 advantage in draw controls and dominated
possession, building a 14-6 lead at the half.
The Orange offense slowed down in the second and BU was much improved
on the draw, led by six draw controls in the game by Landy, but the
Terriers were unable to cut into Syracuse's lead.
Syracuse finished the game with a 35-16 lead in shots and a 17-15
edge in draw controls. Sophomore Liz Hogan made two saves in goal for
the Orange. Syracuse had a 9-4 advantage in ground balls.
The contest marked the final game in scarlet and white for the Terriers' talented trio of seniors in Sarah Dalton, Kelly Munroe and Steph Walker.
The class won four straight America East Championships in their careers
and Dalton leaves BU as the Terriers' all-time leading scorer with 284
points and 247 goals. She also set the BU single-season record with 91
goals this season, 20 more than the previous record that she set last
season, and leads the nation in goal-scoring.