BC women’s lacrosse caps off special season with NCAA championship
NEWTON, Mass. (BVM) — After one of the most impressive seasons in Boston College women’s lacrosse history, the Eagles made sure that they wouldn’t end this season as an NCAA tournament runner-up.
Coming into the tournament as the No. 4 seed, the Eagles were more than ready after a regular season battling the powerhouse ACC. Boston College made quick work of its opening opponents, with wins over Fairfield and Temple in the first two rounds. A matchup against rival Notre Dame would make things interesting in the quarterfinals after the Eagles took down the Irish in both games earlier in the season.
Mood pic.twitter.com/vOzwhLd9y0
— BC Women's Lacrosse (@BCwlax) June 1, 2021
The previous experience against the group would pay off, as the Eagles took down the No. 5-seeded Irish, 21-10. The win setup a premier matchup against the No. 1-seeded UNC Tar Heels who had gotten the better of the Eagles in their lone regular season matchup back in March. After impressive performances from freshman Belle Smith and goalie Rachel Hall, Boston College would squeak past North Carolina in a close 11-10 final.
“I give so much credit to our defense,” Hollie Schleicher said. “We’re such a new unit this year. I think it was just trust, intensity, focus. Rachel Hall is unstoppable. It started off in that UNC game and carried into this game. We have so many people that have so many different roles, and I think we just meshed together and worked so hard. It just paid off.”
The momentum the Eagles received from the matchup would be pivotal, as the Eagles faced another conference foe in the NCAA championship. With wins over Notre Dame and North Carolina, the Eagles would have to go through one more familiar opponent in the Syracuse Orange. The No. 2-seeded Orange had been dominant throughout the tournament beating Northwestern 21-13, to move into the championship matchup.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS pic.twitter.com/hW6ggIr4Z6
— BC Women's Lacrosse (@BCwlax) May 30, 2021
Boston College wouldn’t disappoint in the NCAA final matchup, combining for 17 goals in the opening half. After a barrage of goals led by Charlotte North, who tallied six goals overall, the Eagles would get out to their biggest lead of 12-8. The team wouldn’t look back to close the game, holding off the Orange for a 16-10 victory.
The NCAA lacrosse championship win marks the first in program history, as Boston College recaptured its first NCAA title since the men’s hockey tournament in 2012. After three straight NCAA championship game appearances from 2017-2019, the win feels that much more special for those who have been a part of the ups-and-downs.
“Those losses (in the national championship) really taught us a lot,” Eagles head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “We were destroyed by it temporarily, but we picked up the pieces, and we had to pivot here and there to make decisions and persist and stay together to find new ways to win.
“I think (losing) was all part of the process,” Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “I talked to Jerry York after the 2019 loss, and he’s the winningest hockey coach ever. He just said to trust the process, that all these things are about the process. At some point, at the right time, divine timing will come in, and things will fall into place.”
