WEEK #10: LOOKING TO GET BACK ON TRACK!

Thanks to many of you for reaching out to us over the last week to wish us luck and send along your moral support! Last week we traveled to College Park, MD for the 2010 ACC Tournament. As the #5 seed in the tournament, we faced #4 seed and 5^th-ranked Duke on Thursday. The entire team was looking forward to the rematch and hoped to find a way to avenge the 1-goal loss from earlier in the season.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day, and as one person put it, “sometimes, there just aren’t words.” After a 17-6 loss, it was true, there were few words that could ease the pain everyone felt; however, as has been the case all season long, the 2010 Eagles remained determined and unwavering in their belief that better days were ahead.

The 2010 season continues on this week, and because this year’s team has embraced the important idea that the response is far more important than anything else, we have no doubt great things are to come. Today, Wednesday, we face UNH at 4:00pm at home. It will be a battle from beginning to end, but we are looking forward to taking care of business and breaking another school record – most wins in a season. Tomorrow’s match-up will be followed by a game against LeMoyne at 1:00pm on Saturday – SENIOR DAY and ALUMNAE DAY! We look forward to honoring our five seniors: Sue Cannon, Blair Clancy, Lauren Costello, Peyton Killeen and Mary Stinson for all of their hard work and dedication to the program. We hope many of you will come to support them, as well, and say hello to our alums!

We will finish out the regular season next week at Harvard on Wednesday, May 5^th at 7pm.

Best wishes to all of you and thanks again for the continued support!

WEEK #8: Eagles Fall JUST Short!

What a performance your Eagles put forth last Saturday against #5 Duke! From the very first whistled, all 26 members of the 2010 team knew they could knock of the Blue Devils and did they ever come close! Dominating for much of the game, the Eagles went into halftime up by 4 with a score of 8-4. The defense came up huge throughout the first half, and the offense played with poise and patience we hadn’t seen all season long – it was impressive!

Coming out of the locker room at halftime with confidence, the Eagles continued to respond to every attempt Duke made to catch us. Hustle play after hustle play kept us ahead of Duke all game long. The Eagles responded with a huge draw control or a big goal every time Duke tried to get close. We never let them score more than two goals in a row (until the end…), and Eagles were diving all over the field to fight for the win.

Unfortunately, the excitement comes to an end as we fell short. We couldn’t quite hold on for the final ten minutes of the game and the Blue Devils found a way to win 12-11. Nonetheless, it was an impressive performance and one to build off of. There is no question it was a huge step in the right direction.

The way this 2010 team has handled itself all season long, how hard each athlete has worked, how far each has come, and how the entire team has continued to persevere is incredible. We still have MUCH work to be done, especially as we face #17 Boston University tomorrow (Weds) at 6:00pm. Each day this team gets better and tomorrow will be another step in that direction. We hope many of you will come out to cheer on your Eagles as they travel down Commonwealth Ave to take on the Terriers.

Many thanks to all for your continued support.

GO EAGLES!

WEEK #7: EAGLES ARE 7-3

Your BC Eagles traveled to Charlottesville, VA over the Easter weekend to face #4 Virginia on Saturday, April 3^rd. Arriving on Friday in Washington, DC and then enjoying a 2 hour bus ride to Charlottesville together, the Eagles welcomed the warm weather and sunshine! It was certainly hot on Friday!

After a solid practice and a great dinner together, the team was ready and excited to take on the Cavaliers. BC got off to a good start in the game, leading 2-1 early on. Virginia then answered back with a couple goals of their own, but the Eagles were unwilling to fold. Fighting back to get within one, 5-4, BC remained in the contest. However, the Cavaliers had another answer and went into halftime up 8-4. Scoring two quick goals out of the half, Virginia had a 10-4 advantage, but again, the Eagles wanted more. Two more quick goals cut Virginia’s lead to 10-6 with 14 minutes remaining. The Cavaliers were feeling the pressure and called a timeout. Unfortunately, we were unable to answer again and unable to get the key draw controls and ground balls for possession in those final minutes, and the Eagles ultimately fell 12-6.

With another experience against a top-ranked team under our belts, BC is finding ways to learn, to get better, and to reach our goals each and every day. It isn’t every day that teams get to play against the very best in the country, and for that we are grateful. I have no doubt that our team will learn the important lessons, work even harder than they have, and get better with every practice and every game. With that mindset, we will continue to thrive on the success we are having, the tradition we are creating, and the culture we are building. It is a process and the 26 women of the 2010 squad are learning how tough a process it can be, but I have no doubt they will, one day, know the reward, as well.

We now prepare to take on Iona College on Wednesday, March 7^th at 4:00pm at homeand then we travel to face #4 Duke in Durham, NC on Saturday, March 10^th at 1:00pm.

We thank you all for your continued support and hope to see many of you on the sidelines this week!

WEEK #6: EAGLES GO 1-1...MOVE to 7-2

The Eagles rebounded from their hard fought, but disappointing loss to Maryland, by knocking off Vermont at home last Wednesday. It was a closer game than anyone would have liked, but a win is a win and we defeated the Catamounts 14-10!

Then it was time to prepare for #4/#5 North Carolina, a game the team was really looking forward to. With focused and challenging practices leading up to the game, the team was prepared and ready – the energy was high and the determination apparent. This is precisely how the Eagles played in the first half. They came out with confidence and fire, and it quickly showed in the score as we went up 4-0! As is the case with the game of lacrosse, North Carolina also went on their own run, tying the game at 4 heading into halftime. Despite the comeback by UNC, the Eagles remained confident and poised during halftime and believe they could do all they needed to in the second half. Unfortunately, the game played out differently! Virtually unable to win a draw in the second half made possession very challenging and UNC capitalized on their opportunities with a renewed sense of intensity and purpose. The game ended in disappointing fashion with a score of 15-6.

With lessons learned by the team and coaching staff from Saturday’s loss, the Eagles are looking forward to getting back on track this week and working hard towards beating #4 Virginia this Saturday, April 3^rd, in Charlottesville at 1:00pm.

The 2010 Eagles are a strong, capable, and united group that is unwilling to let much stand in their way. As a result, we continue to learn lessons, continue to get better, and continue to look forward to our next challenge. We hope all of you will continue to cheer us on and come enjoy the sunshine in Virginia on Saturday!

WEEK #5: EAGLES FIGHT HARD

The week began with a road win at Holy Cross - a tough, scrappy team that gave us everything we could handle in the 1st half. Although tied at halftime, the team remained calm and focused and there wasn't an ounce of doubt anywhere to be found. Instead, the Eagles re-grouped and put together a much better second half performance outscoring the Crusaders 7-1 and winning the game 13-7. The win was the 6th on the season and the 2010 Eagles made history one more time breaking the program's longest winning streak set back in 2003.

After the hard-fought battle on Wednesday, the Eagles took to the road to face #2 and undefeated Maryland. The Terrapins had been averaging 37 shots per game and nearly 17 goals per game going into the contest. They were coming of a 20-11 win over #7 Georgetown and 20-6 win over then #15 UNH. The Eagles knew they faced a big challenge, but they were prepared and ready to stand tall - they did that and more. Holding Maryland to 24 shots and only 7 goals, the Eagles executed their gameplan and stuck to their goals. With a 5-2 lead by Maryland at the half, BC returned to the field in the second half and outscored Maryland 4-2. With a final score of 7-6, the Eagles realized just how close they are and tasting that is what will drive this team to further success this season. It was an excellent performance from one of the field to the other, but now we have unfinished business.

Additionally, the 2010 Eagles earned Boston College's first national ranking, coming in at #18 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll - another first for the program this year! See the release by clicking here

So, this week we focus ourselves on our next challenges: Vermont on Wednesday and #4 North Carolina on Saturday. Both are home games starting at 4pm and 12noon respectively. We hope many of you will be there to cheer us on as we continue to improve each and every day. Thanks to all of you who showed up at Maryland - the support was huge!

Best wishes to all...

NOTE: We are having email difficulties and therefore this week's email update may be delayed - if it comes at all...hope to have things working soon!

Week #4: EAGLES SOAR to 5-0!

Your Eagles not only beat VA Tech on Saturday, 14-9, but they also made history with a 5-0 start for the first-time ever. It was a great way to begin ACC competition, and VA Tech certainly came ready to play. Although the Hokies have struggled some this season, they undoubtedly played their best game of 2010 against us, but we prevailed! It was an exciting game from start to finish, and all the tough sprints and long runs from the week before certainly paid off!

Tri-captain Lauren Costello ’10 and Brooke Blue ’13 continued their scoring ways combining for 9 goals and 1 assist on the day. Junior Kristin Igoe had 2 goals and 2 assists with one of her goals coming of a dive after losing the ball in transition – a highlight for sure! Our entire defensive unit of: Hannah Alley ’11, Katherine Caufield ’12, Kate Collins ’12, Kristin Igoe ’11, Liz Donovan ’12, Peyton Killeen ’10, Ali Meagher ’13, Jill Rekart ’11, Sam Taylor ’12 and Sheila Serafino ’11 did a tremendous job of holding off the VA Tech offense for long possessions at a time and doing all that was asked of them and more. There is no doubt it was a true team effort from one end of the field to the other.

For the full game release, please click here.

Now, it is time to prepare for Holy Cross on Wednesday at 4:30pm in Worcester, MA and for the #2 Maryland Terrapins on Saturday at 12noon in College Park, MD. This is a big week for the Eagles and we are looking forward to continuing our hard work, focus, and determination as we head into a tough stretch of games.

We thank you for all of your support and look forward to seeing you on the sidelines this week!

Week #2 & #3: Eagles Continue to Roll

The last two weeks have been very successful for your Eagles! We are currently 4-0, having beaten our first four opponents by a combined score of 72-20! Since the last update, we have taken down Canisius (14-5), Jacksonville (18-6) and Siena (20-5). There is no question our team is starting to click all over the field.

Freshman Brooke Blue and Senior tri-captain Lauren Costello were named Eagles of the Week these last two weeks for their game-day and practice performances. However, both have been greatly supported by an entire team working hard toward a common goal. Junior Jill Rekart has taken on an important leadership role on the defensive end and is coming into her own through hard work, focus, and determination to succeed. There is no doubt the entire team is looking forward to its first big opponent this coming Saturday!

We also had a great spring break trip to Jacksonville, FL – although everyone hoped for warmer weather! Nonetheless, we had sun and some warmth for the first time which was a welcome change from the cold north. Our trip down to FL was one to remember with our flight getting cancelled, our team being split into two groups – one for a Saturday departure and one for a Sunday departure, and lastly the Saturday group not arriving until 3:00am on Sunday…just as the Sunday group was waking up to catch its early morning flight! It was quite an adventure, but the team took it in stride as it always does and laughed through much of the craziness.

Now, we have a week to practice and prepare for one of our most exciting games of the year – an annual match against ACC rival, VA Tech. We will face the Hokies on Saturday, March 13^th at 12:00pm at home. The entire team is working incredibly hard in preparation for this game. It is an exciting time, and we are looking forward to a battle on Saturday!

We hope many of you will come out for our game on Saturday – regardless of the weather (!!) – to cheer us on.

Thank you for your continued support.