Women’s lacrosse splits matches on Boston road trip

The women’s lacrosse team split games on a road trip to Boston this weekend. The Trojans lost their first game Friday against No. 1 Boston College 12-9 but bounced back Sunday to defeat Boston University 16-11.

At Newton Field, the Trojans fell behind Boston College early. The game started slow, with neither team looking sharp. The high-powered Boston College offense would not be held quiet for long, though. After five scoreless minutes, they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in a matter of only 90 seconds. At the start of the game, USC looked somewhat shell-shocked. The Trojans committed too many unforced turnovers against a team that capitalizes on opponents’ mistakes better than any team in the NCAA.

Transition was where the Trojans lost the game. Boston College’s tight defense forced a few too many errant throws, and the Eagles were able to take advantage of these fast-break opportunities to score swift and relatively easy goals. 

The game could have gotten out of hand fast, but the stout USC defense kept the team in the game. Sophomore goalie Riley Hertford stepped up with eight saves and career highs of six ground balls and three caused turnovers. 

At the end of a sluggish first half, USC was down 5 goals to the best team in the nation. The Trojans made a spirited comeback, scoring 7 of the final 12 goals. However, the hole proved too difficult for the team to climb out of by the end of the game. 

The second-half comeback halted with a little more than 13 minutes left when senior defender and team captain Jackie Gilbert drew a yellow card. While in the penalty box, Boston College scored 1 goal and gained valuable possessions to slow down the Trojans’ momentum.

For the Eagles, senior attacker Sam Apuzzo totaled 7 points on 5 goals and two assists. She scored or assisted on 3 of the first 5 goals of the game for Boston College. 

Eagles graduate student attacker Kenzie Kent was another major problem for the Trojans. Kent  played the role of distributor, assisting on 6 goals and scoring 1.

The goal that epitomized the game for USC came with just under six minutes to go in the first half. The Eagles were deep into the shot clock, and the Trojan defense was all over the field, making things difficult for the Eagles’ attack. With nine seconds left on the shot clock, Boston College junior midfielder Cara Urbank drilled an acrobatic shot from her knees. 

No matter what the Trojans did, the Eagles always seemed to have an answer. 

Despite the loss to the Eagles, USC beat Boston University on Sunday at Nickerson Field. Against the Terriers, the Huff family got the job done, as sisters Kelsey and Kaeli Huff scored 4 goals each.

Junior midfielder Kaeli Huff had a very clean game, shooting 4-for-4 with a ground ball and two caused turnovers. Sophomore midfielder Kelsey Huff shot 4-for-9 with an assist and a caused turnover.

The Trojans never trailed the Terriers despite losing the draw control battle 17-12. Head coach Lindsey Munday could not find a way to help her team win the draw.

When it was clear that Gilbert was not getting the job done, Munday sent in the young guns. Freshman midfielder Erin Bakes took a few draws, but Munday eventually settled on freshman midfielder Katie Ramsey. Ramsey had the most success of the two newcomers, winning three draws. 

The victory at Boston University marks the second time the Trojans have won a game in Massachusetts. They were previously 0-5.

Pac-12 play starts for the Trojans next week, as they hit the road to face Arizona State Friday.