The No. 17 Eagles defeated No. 7 UVA on Saturday for the women’s lacrosse team’s first ACC win of the season, improving the team’s record to 8-4 in the regular season and 1-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The win also marked the first win over Virginia since Boston College first entered the ACC in 2005. With only five regular season games and an ACC Tournament left for Boston College, the team looks to finish off the season strong for a chance to advance to the National Tournament. After an exhilarating start to the season with six straight wins, including a win at Yale with a fourteen-goal margin, the Eagles have faced greater challenges from their ACC rivals.
But this weekend’s performance showed Boston College fans that the Eagles can play with the best.
The Eagles captured the win with strong performances from everyone on the field.
The defense stopped UVA’s attackers, and senior goalie Sheila Serafino made seven saves to keep the Eagles in the lead. Although this weekend’s performance was a highpoint for the season, the team has also had its share of wins and losses.
“We beat Harvard for the first time in four years,” said one senior team member. “It was our first home game, so it was really exciting to share that with our fans.”
But when the next home game came only three days later on March 20th, the Eagles hosted the Maryland Terrapins, an ACC foe. The Terps, the defending national champions, took a 20-9 victory home with them, while the Eagles fell to a 0-2 record in the ACC. A week later, on March 26th, the Eagles faced another tough ACC opponent when they traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to take on the Tarheels of UNC. Unfortunately, another loss for the women’s lacrosse team dropped its record to 0-3 in the conference.
“Out of the six ACC teams, five are ranked in the top 20, and four are consistently in the top 10,” said one of the players, “and Maryland and Virginia are always strong.”
The win over Virginia is one the Eagles hope to repeat this Saturday at home against Duke, another ACC challenger. Saturday’s game against Duke, the last of the team’s ACC games for the regular season, is also Senior Day.
With five seniors graduating in May, the Eagles will rely on their seven juniors to move in to leadership roles next season.
“The team will lose two-thirds of its midfield line,” said one player, “but we will have a really talented freshmen class next year.”
After losing this year’s senior goalie, Sheila Serafino, the Eagles will look to other goaltenders for support in front of the net, as well as from support on the rest of the field.
Senior Kristin Igoe, the team’s leading goal scorer, will have one more year of eligibility after receiving a medical redshirt for her freshman season. A member of the U.S. national lacrosse team, Igoe is a key asset for the Eagles’ offensive line, scoring two goals against UVA.
Following this Saturday’s game against Duke, the Eagles will take on Boston University and Vermont before traveling to Cary, North Carolina for the ACC Championship. The regular season will conclude on the 29th at New Hampshire.
