BOSTON COLLEGE WOMEN’S LACROSSE FINAL SCORE: Eagles Blow Halftime Lead, Fall to Duke Blue Devils 15-12

NEWTON, Mass.,- It was a tale of two halves for the Boston College Eagles in the annual Red Bandanna Day game.

The first half was a half that BC dominated, with the Eagles opening the game with a 3-0 lead.

The second half, however, was a different story. The Blue Devils outscored the Eagles 9-4 in the second half, and, ultimately, the Blue Devils emerged the victors, stunning the Eagles 15-12 to pick up their first ACC win of the year.

The Eagles opened up the game with a 3-0 lead, on two goals by Laura Frankenfield and Mary Kate O’Neill’s eighth goal of the season. The dominance by the Eagles in the early part of the first half was so pronounced that the Eagles held the Blue Devils to only one shot through an eleven minute stretch early in the first.

The Blue Devils, however, eventually got their footing. Two goals by Maddie Crutchfield led the Blue Devils’ first half resurgence, and, while the Blue Devils were down 8-6 at the end of the first half, Duke looked poised for a second half push. In fact, the Blue Devils were credited with two more shots in the period than BC (19-17).

The Blue Devils did more than just a mere second half push. The Blue Devils dominated the second half, powered by a 9-5 draw control effort by Olivia Jenner. The effort paid off, as Duke spent much of the second half pressuring in the BC defensive zone. Meanwhile, the Eagles struggled to produce a stop. BC did not get credited for a save throughout the entire second half.

A lack of an ability to get a stop coupled with struggles in the draw control circle resulted in difficulties for the BC defense. The Blue Devils outscored the Eagles 9-4 in the second half.

The difficulties also stymied any chance for the Eagles to mount a comeback effort. After Grace Fallon scored her second of the game with 5:48 remaining in the second, giving Duke the 14-11 lead, BC was only able to muster a single goal from Sam Apuzzo in the waning moments of the game.

The result of the Eagles’ struggles was a loss to a Duke Blue Devils team in the cellar of the ACC. The Eagles dropped to 2-4 in ACC play on the year. BC travels to Dartmouth Wednesday afternoon in the Eagles’ next game.