Takeaways from BC's Win Against Loyola
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boston College lacrosse advancing to its fifth straight Final Four last Thursday was more about the No.3 Eagles playing a complete 60 minutes than it was about No. 6 Loyola not showing up. BC was on its A-game, offensively and defensively, and carried momentum from one quarter to the next, scoring with under 35 seconds left in every period.
It was the kind of the performance BC needed during the ACC Championship, not to mention the type of outing that will be required of the Eagles in Baltimore this coming weekend if they're to repeat as national champions.
Before all eyes turn to Homewood Field and the four remaining teams, Eagle Action will take one last look at BC's triumphant win over Jen Adams' Greyhounds in Newton.
Saved by the Belle
Two-time Patriot League Defender of the Year Katie Detwiler was faceguarding Charlotte North all game. And, with the exception of a 108-second sequence—during which North burned Detwiler for back-to-back goals—the veteran defender limited the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner's shot opportunities.Goals had to come from other places if BC was to beat the Greyhounds. That's exactly what happened, and Belle Smith was the flag bearer of that front. Smith, who had combined for just two goals on 10 shots in the Eagles' previous two games, rebounded by finding the back of the net a career-high seven times in the Elite Eight matchup.
The sophomore midfielder scored a goal with six seconds or less remaining in the first, third and fourth quarters. The first of those came on a free-position laser with five hundredths of a second left in the opening frame.
Smith was often in the right place at the right time, cutting, catching, pivoting and scoring on Loyola, fueling a high-powered Eagles offense.
"I think at the end of every quarter, I was like, 'Alright, something needs to happen,'" Smith said. "Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time. But my teammates were just hitting me. And that carried momentum into every quarter."
Transition scoring helped BC create a cushion
Transition scoring has been a significant part of BC's offense this year. It was on full display Thursday, particularly in the second half. The effort was actually kickstarted by one of Rachel Hall's eight saves, toward the end of the second quarter. It set the stage for an Eagles clear that resulted in Smith flinging a quick pass to a striding Cassidy Weeks, who fed Jenn Medjid near the crease's doorstep. From there, Medjid fired one of her five goals, staking BC to a 10-5 lead before intermission.Then, in the third quarter, Weeks ran the break again. What looked to be a give-and-go with her and Kayla Martello turned into Martello simply taking matters into her own hands with a charging goal. Later on in the period, Sydney Scales caused a Georgia Latch turnover, and Weeks located Medjid. The longtime attacker cashed in to put BC up, 13-9, restoring the Eagles' four-goal advantage.
In addition to Weeks, BC's defenders, namely Hollie Schleicher and Hunter Roman, played a big role in bringing the ball upfield in transition.
"It's such a thrill," Roman said. "And it's awesome because we have our attackmen that are just riding us and they're saying, 'Keep going, keep going. We'll hit you.' And I think that's such a cool thing that they have our back in transition."
Loyola dominated the draw, but it didn't cost the Eagles
Often in women's lacrosse, the draw circle can determine the outcome of a game—or at least play a significant hand in determining the outcome. That wasn't the case last Thursday.Loyola won 24-of-36 draws, including 7-of-9 in the third quarter, but 16 turnovers prevented the Greyhounds from making the most of their dominance in the circle.
That said, their success on the draw did allow them to pull within two goals of BC in the third period. And, in the fourth quarter, Detwiler went the distance in eight seconds, converting a draw control victory into her second goal of the NCAA Tournament.
BC got Sydney Scales back
When Scales had to be helped off the field during the ACC Championship after she suffered an ankle injury, Eagles fans everywhere held their breath. Luckily for BC, the first-team All-ACC defender avoided the worst and, instead, missed only one game: the Eagles' second-round NCAA Tournament win over Denver.Sophia Taglich, who stepped up in last year's Final Four, filled in for Scales, and the Eagles' backline held its own against the Pioneers.
But Scales was back for last Thursday's bout with Loyola, and she tallied a ground ball and a caused turnover.
"I have to say, it was a relief," Roman said. "Not having her there definitely feels like a missing piece. But having her back was awesome. We're gonna have her going forward, and I think that's such a cool thing. It really brings our defense together."
Walker-Weinstein called playing Loyola "exciting and fresh"
This was the third-ever meeting between BC and Loyola. The programs don't see each other often, but when they do cross paths, the matchup holds special meaning for 10th-year Eagles head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, who, as a player, followed in Jen Adams' footsteps at Maryland. Adams, a four-time national champion with the Terps, has been Loyola's head coach since 2009.Walker-Weinstein said it will "never be easy" to coach against Adams.
"It's intimidating," she said. "Jen is the greatest women's lacrosse player of all time and one of the greatest minds. So trying to figure out how to go against that can be very intimidating. I will always look up to her. She's one of my heroes since I was a little girl. I give her so much credit. That team is so sick."
Walker-Weinstein added that it's "exciting and fresh" to face teams in the NCAA Tournament that BC hasn't played in a while. The Eagles will have another chance to feed off that energy against Maryland—which BC hasn't played since the team's National Championship loss to the Terps in 2019—in this year's Final Four.
