On Friday, Boston College women's lacrosse picked up the first tournament win in program history. Yesterday, they took it up a notch, stifling Loyola (MD) 8-3 to advance to the Elite Eight. Now, a pretty large obstacle is in their way as they look to make it to the Final Four: 19-2 & #2-ranked Syracuse, who edged BC in Newton 11-9 back on February 26. The game will be played at the Carrier Dome on Saturday at 1 PM.
BC's defense and goaltender Zoe Ochoa were the highlights of yesterday's performance, severely limiting Loyola's opportunities after BC built up an early 5-1 lead in the first half. The Eagles dominated possession, limiting Loyola to just seven shots in each half. Ochoa, a freshman, is now 3-0 in net for BC after being inserted as the starting goalie during the regular season finale against BU.
Sarah Mannelly and Covie Stanwick had three goals apiece for BC to spark the win. Kate Rich opened the scoring for BC with a goal of her own, and Mikaela Rix continued her outstanding season with her 57th goal of the year. With the win, BC is now 15-5 on what's already been their best ever season.
Yesterday's defensive performance was BC's best since crushing UConn 15-3 on March 1 in Storrs, and was a departure from the team's recent games, which have mostly seen both teams go into double digits. They'll need to keep up the defense to limit Syracuse's explosiveness. The Orange have only lost twice all season -- both times to ACC champion and national favorite Maryland.