Takeaways from BC's ACC Championship Loss
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boston College lacrosse has looked the part of a repeat contender for most of the 2022 season. Against teams from North Carolina, however, the reigning defending national champion Eagles have proven to be vulnerable.
Duke spoiled BC superstar Charlotte North's return to Durham, and, more notably, UNC has avenged its Final Four loss last year with a pair of wins over the Eagles this season.
BC's first bout with the Tar Heels this year was a one-goal thriller in front of an impressive Alumni Stadium crowd that drew 5,937 fans. The Eagles' second defeat to their ACC rival came in a rain-soaked Chapel Hill this past weekend—but the ACC Championship, surprisingly, didn't go down to the wire.
In fact, UNC ran away with the 16-9 victory, thanks to 11 straight goals. So what went wrong for the Eagles? How did it happen?
We've got takeaways from the tournament title game.
Shot accuracy was a problem for BC, especially in the first half
BC entered Saturday second nationally in shot percentage (50.8%). It was a significant reason why the Eagles boasted the country's top scoring offense. Head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein's team got good looks on cage in the opening half of the ACC Championship, except BC couldn't capitalize.The Eagles landed just 9-of-20 first-half shots on net. UNC, on the other hand, put 10-of-13 shots on cage during that span.
BC made things easier on Tar Heels goalie Taylor Moreno. Eagles netminder Rachel Hall was playing some of her best lacrosse of the season on the other end, and BC's backline was on its A-game throughout the first two quarters. With more efficiency on the attack, the Eagles could have given themselves a bigger cushion before intermission.
Maybe then, their third quarter collapse wouldn't have happened. It's hard to know.
And it's important to note that field conditions were a factor in both teams' low scoring output in the opening half. Traction was hard to come by on the puddle-ridden Dorrance Field grass.
For the game, BC was just 1-of-5 on free-position chances. This season, the Eagles are tied for 16th nationally in free-position percentage (50%).
Belle Smith and Jenn Medjid didn't make their usual impact
Belle Smith was soaring in the first two games of the ACC Tournament. Following her five-goal outburst against Syracuse in the regular season finale, the two-way middie chipped in a hat trick in BC's ACC Tournament quarterfinal win over Virginia Tech. Then, two days later, she piled up nine points (three goals, six assists) in a semifinal victory over Virginia. But, against UNC, she mustered just one point.Smith scored one goal on seven shots—a handful of which were high—and didn't register a single assist. The sophomore had only three other games this season where she logged just one point.
Medjid's streak of 48 games with a goal that dated back to her freshman year (2019) finally came to an end. A game removed from getting disqualified after two follow-through violations, the graduate attacker was held in check. She recorded five shots, yet none of them found the back of the net. Medjid did have one assist.
Still, for a player who epitomizes consistency, Medjid's lack of production on the biggest stage left a hole in BC's offense.
Of course, Kayla Martello registering just two shots and zero goals is noteworthy, too. She's BC's primary cutter. UNC's defense was suffocating.
Three of BC's top-five scorers combined for a lowly one goal.
Rachel Hall was excellent in the first half and didn't get much help in the second
Hall is one of the most athletic goalies in the sport. And, without her, BC doesn't win the National Championship in 2021. But it's no secret that's she been struggling this season.Even after a seven-save performance against the Tar Heels this past weekend, Hall is 100th nationally in save percentage (.340). To put that in perspective, the senior finished last season with a mark of .402.
She wasn't the problem Saturday, though.
Hall made six stops in the first half, more than she totaled in the first two games of the ACC Tournament. There was even a stretch in which she stopped a bullet from Elizabeth Hillman and then snuffed out an Andie Aldave free-position shot. After that, her fifth save of the opening half led to a Smith bouncer that increased the Eagles' lead to 5-3.
In the second half, Hall gave up 11 goals and was even pulled for sophomore Maddy Manahan for a bit more than five minutes. Although she wasn't at peak form like she was in the first two periods, she was sometimes left for dead by her backline, which was having a difficult time switching out of double teams, allowing UNC's offense to set up shots at the crease's doorstep.
It was an uncharacteristic showing for a BC defense that has been stellar in 2022.
Sydney Scales' injury is something to monitor
Sydney Scales is BC's best defender. She's an All-ACC first teamer and is routinely tasked with guarding top-tier attackers.So when she went down with what appeared to be a left ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday's contest, Eagles fans held their breath.
Scales had to be helped off the field by Walker-Weinstein and a trainer. The sophomore didn't return and had ice on her ankle with crutches the rest of the way.
Losing Scales would be a huge blow to BC's defense. Scales leads the team with 43 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers this year.
Jamie Ortega stole the spotlight
North is the top player in the sport. But UNC's Jamie Ortega earned ACC Attacker of the Year Saturday, notching nine points with four goals and five assists.Ortega, who broke Jen Adams' ACC career points record in the process, dissected BC double teams with feeders inside, not to mention her array of goals, one of which featured a hesitation move that got her past Scales, and another that saw her beat Hall on a breakaway, 1-v-1.
Ortega jumpstarted UNC's shutout third quarter with a goal 66 seconds into the period. The rest was history.
