College Sports
“It means the world that we could have this moment and be on the flip side. I just can’t describe it. It’s a dream come true.”
After falling behind by six goals early, the Boston College lacrosse team never panicked.
The Eagles firmly believed they could rally, and that’s exactly what they did. BC methodically chipped away, eventually seized momentum, then held off a Northwestern rally late.
Boston College earned a thrilling 14-13 victory Sunday in Cary, North Carolina, capturing its second national championship in four years.
“We’ve just come a long way,” BC coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “I’m so proud of the girls. I’m so proud of the seniors. I asked them to lead the way all season, and they did just that.”
The Eagles, who have made seven straight title games, now have a second championship to show for it.
“The losses along the way were part of this process,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I’m not glorifying losing by any means, but I do think maybe I, our staff, our players, needed to be hardened a bit to be ready for this moment. I think some of the losses did just that.”
Kayla Martello paced the Eagles with five goals en route to Most Outstanding Player honors. Andrea Reynolds, Rachel Clark, Mckenna Davis and Emma LoPinto added two apiece, and Ryan Smith scored one.
Clark chipped in four assists and Belle Smith three, and Shea Dolce made nine saves – including several clutch stops in the final minutes to help preserve the win.
“I kind of blacked out a little bit,” Dolce said. “Honestly, I don’t remember much of it.”
When these teams met in the final last year, Northwestern cruised to an 18-6 win. In the rematch, the Wildcats bolted out to a 6-0 lead through one and seemed to be destined for yet another decisive victory.
The Eagles, however, had other ideas. They sliced the deficit to 6-3, then 8-6 at halftime following a goal from Martello in the final minute.
Davis capped a defensive-minded third quarter with a sensational backhand buzzer-beater to make it 10-9 Wildcats headed to the fourth.
“I think it was what we needed to spark ourselves, our belief, and really just the energy,” Walker-Weinstein said of Davis’s delivery.
With momentum on their side, and pressure on the Wildcats, the Eagles tied it at 11 on a goal from Clark, then took a 12-11 lead on a delivery from Reynolds with 9:39 remaining.
Martello made it 13-11, NU’s Izzy Scane chopped it half, then Davis converted with 4:02 left. Scane struck again with 59 seconds remaining, then Dolce and the defense helped secure a thrilling triumph.
Northwestern had the ball late, with a chance to tie it, but the Eagles made one final stand.
“It means the world that we could have this moment and be on the flip side,” Dolce said. “I just can’t describe it. It’s a dream come true.”
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