CHESTNUT HILL - Through its first four games of the season, the women's lax team hadn't really been tested at all, outscoring opponents 77-27, scoring 20+ goals in three of those games.
Sure, the win over Northwestern on the road was a gritty one, but the Eagles let the Wildcats back into that game.
So, when No. 20 Duke visited Fish Field House on Saturday, the Eagles once again let an opponent hang around before ultimately safely cruising to a 19-10 win.
BC is now 5-0 on the year and not only have a ton of depth on offense, but are getting some ridiculous defensive performances from players both young and old, which is bad news for the rest of the country.
BC held a 4-2 lead after one, 9-3 at the half and 13-6 after three. But, Duke potted the first three goals of the third quarter to make things very interesting until the champs put their foot on the gas.
"It's good, but I just wanted the whole game to be an answer...I just don't like these third quarter letdowns," said head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. "We're going to have to figure it out. In three games now in the third quarter - Northwestern, Loyola and this one - we beat ourselves. We started making stupid plays and dumb cards.
"I'm just going to try to inspire the girls into thinking about what happens if we don't do that. What could the score be if we don't do that?"
Rachel Clark had four goals and two assists while Molly Driscoll and Emma LoPinto each added hat tricks. Freshman Devon Russell, graduate Mia Mascone and sophomore Kylee Colbert each potted two. Sophomore Lydia Colasante and Shea Baker had a goal each and graduate Maria Themelis notched her third career goal. McKenna Davis added five assists and while Shea Dolce didn't have her best game, she still made five saves.
Duke goalie Kennedy Everson was phenomenal with 10 saves.
"I think it's just another lesson learned," said Baker. "It's a patter with us. We come out at halftime a little bit flat. So, taking in those messages and really focusing on the game plan, even when we have a little bit of a lead, staying focused in there."
"I think just staying poised," added LoPointo. "On defense, we all just come together. When they make a stop, we're trying to score and do it for the defense. Just trying to come together. Remembering the game plan is the most important thing."
That defense was absolutely smothering at times - particularly in the first half - which is a credit not only to Walker-Weinstein and Jen Kent, but also to the staff helping the girls stay in incredible shape. Even watching the Eagles on that end of the field for a minute or two is incredibly impressive to watch.
"They're biggest conversions were off free positions and man-up opportunities," said Baker. "When we played good one-v-one defense and just stuck to the game plan and were disciplined, that's when we (forced) shot clock violations. I think just wearing them down and trusting we'll get that stop later on, not jumping to make any big plays or anything."
The young players having an impact is also a massive early season development. For those that thought the Eagles would have trouble replacing everything they lost from last year's title team, girls like Driscoll and Russell have quickly shown they belong at this level too.
Russell believes that's because her teammates made younger players feel like part of the family almost immediately.
"It's been so easy, I feel like I've known these girls forever," she said. "Not just on the lacrosse field, but in the locker room and off the field, they make you feel so welcomed. The first month I was here I felt like I knew them forever.
"Coming onto the lacrosse field, it makes that chemistry and being able to play with them so much easier and really, not intimidating at all."
The Eagles head to Virginia Tech for another ACC showdown next Saturday before coming home to host Dartmouth on March 4th.
