FINAL FALL WEEKEND in REVIEW

Our fall season has come to an end, but it was certainly a weekend to remember! Our bus pulled out at 5:00AM on Friday morning and headed south - destination: Washington, DC. A wonderful breakfast, a great tour of the Nation's Capital, an excellent dinner, and a challenging tournament all awaited your Eagles!

FRIDAY'S ADVENTURE

A sleepy group of Eagles was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Tinquist (parents of Rachel '09), as we disembarked from the bus and made our way into their home for quite a breakfast feast!

It was a much appreciated break along our 8 or so hour journey to DC. Bagels, eggs, fruit...you name it, the Tinquists had it for us. There was no question everyone was well-fed upon our departure and very grateful for a chance to stretch their legs and fill their stomachs!

The Eagles continued on to Washington, DC arriving at famous Union Station around 3:15pm. Awaiting the team was "Duck Soup" - our chartered DC Duck Tour! It was a perfect way for the entire team to see the sights of the Nation's Capital: the Capitol building, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the White House, and much more! It seemed the highlights of the tour included a variety of Eagles actually driving "Duck Soup" on the Potomac River, as well as sitting at the end of the runway at National Airport having major airlines come in for a landing...JUST above our heads! All-in-all it was an adventure enjoyed by everyone.

We were then welcomed into the Collins' home (Kate Collins '12) in Alexandria, VA. A huge dinner spread of great pre-game fuel awaited us, as well as some perfect Halloween party-favors! Many thank to Mr. & Mrs. Collins for opening their doors to a hungry crew and feeding us well for our tournament at Georgetown on Saturday - we all felt right at home!

SATURDAY'S TOURNAMENT

After a long but fun trip down to the Nation's Capital, we awoke early again on Saturday and were well fed after Caroline and CJ bought out the grocery store across the street! With focus and excitement, the Eagles headed across the Potomac River to Georgetown to challenge Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and James Madison throughout the day.

The day began against Georgetown, and although the Eagles got off to a slow start, they showed incredible determination and poise under pressure as they came back in the second half and proved to all they belong! It was a great start to the day. Then came Johns Hopkins, right on the heels of the Georgetown game. An energized Hopkins team truly challenged the Eagles, but everyone continued to fight and focus on the goals at hand. A much needed break before the James Madison game gave everyone a chance to breathe, re-fuel, and get ready to end the day strong. Although the Eagles had ups and downs against James Madison in the final game, the true realization from the day was that we are right there!

The talent, athleticism, and leadership the 2009 team possesses is something special, and it is something everyone plans to tap into in the coming months. There is no question we can and WILL compete at the highest level, as your Eagles are ready to go! All-in-all, Saturday was a successful day and enabled everyone to know exactly where we are headed and what we need to do to get there.

Upon completion of the tournament, the parents once again took good care of everyone with great food for all! However, the visit and relaxation was short-lived as a long bus ride back to Boston awaited the team. Under rainy skies but with plenty of food and drink aboard, the Eagles headed back to BC, making it home before midnight. It was a long, yet productive, 48 hours, and an excellent way to end the 2008 fall season.

There is no question the 2009 squad should feel proud of all that was accomplished this fall season, and there should be no doubt that we are in the right place heading into the season. A senior class determined to lead the team to new heights has kept everyone focused on the important goals at hand, and I am truly looking forward to all that lies ahead. Many thanks to all the parents for your support and help this fall, and CONGRATULATIONS to the 2009 team for all the steps taken in the right direction. Great things lie ahead!

- Bowen

ANOTHER WEEKEND in REVIEW

Another weekend has passed, and it, too, was filled with celebration and excitement! The weekend kicked off with our annual banquet honoring last season and ended with a strong performance for the Eagles at the UNH Tournament.

2008 Banquet Celebration

On Friday evening, we honored the 2008 team and all its accomplishments at the Needham Sheraton in Needham, MA. We welcome back the Class of 2008, Shauna Culhane, Catharine Saylor & Courtney Zwirko, as well as the current team and virtually all of the parents! It was a great evening of dinner, honors, and looking toward the future.

Four annual team awards were also announced including: the Coaches' Award, the Baldwin Award, the Golden Eagle Award and the 2008 Scholar. The Coaches' Award was given to Jenna McCabe '09, the Baldwin Award was awarded to Catharine Saylor '08, the Golden Eagle Award was bestowed upon Lauren Fitzpatrick '09 & Jenna McCabe '09, and Emily Hannigan was named the 2008 Scholar.

We also took the opportunity to thank the Class of 2008 for their contributions to the program over the last four years. They graduate as the final class to compete in both the Big East Conference and the ACC, helping to guide BC into its conference transition and beat its first top-10 ranked opponent, North Carolina, last year! We are truly grateful to Shauna, Catharine, and Courtney for all they have done for Boston College Lacrosse!

UNH Tournament

After a day of rest on Saturday, and a great win by the BC Football Team over rival VA Tech, we headed up north to Durham, NH and took on the Wildcats of UNH, as well as the Minutemen of UMass. It was a cold start to the morning, but your Eagles came out ready to play. Sheila Serafino '11 played in the goal for the first half and was an absolute wall! With the help of a stingent BC defense, and great teamwork on the draw controls, the Eagles headed into halftime ahead and with a shutout! The second half was a little less BC-like, but the team still maintained the same level of intensity and made some necessary adjustments and improvements. We reached 2 of our 3 goals for the game, which was crucial, and we headed into our game with UMass knowing what changes we needed to make. All-in-all it was a good start to the day!

The scrimmage against UMass immediately followed, and once again, the Eagles came out ready to play. UMass is a tough and feisty team that played just that way all scrimmage long; however, we maintained our composure and took care of business. Smart plays were happening on both ends of the field from Peyton Killeen flip-passing balls to teammates for goals to Hannah Alley reading the defense well for a backdoor goal, to Kristin Igoe & Blair Clancy patiently riding an attacker all the way back to the 50 yard line on a double team...the team was focused and determined to leave their mark on the Minutemen! For the first time this fall, the Eagles put together two halves that we consistent and focused. It was a great stepping-stone as we head into our final week of fall practice and final tournament this coming weekend at Georgetown.

The Eagles all did an excellent job of executing on Sunday and achieveing the goals set forth by the senior class ahead of time. At the end of the day, all three goals were achieved and the 2009 team continues to make great strides in the right direction!

We are now in the final days of the fall season with only one practice remaining and a "Fun-Day-Thursday" where the Seniors take charge! Then, it is off to Georgetown to play Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and James Madison on Saturday, October 25th.

Thanks to all who celebrated with us on Friday evening and who cheered us on in NH on Sunday! See you in the Nation's Capital!

-Bowen

WEEKEND in REVIEW!

The Eagles made their fall debut last weekend kicking off the fall season with an Alumnae Game and reception on Saturday and a big tournament at Harvard on Sunday!

Alumnae Game & Reception

We welcomed back nine Alumnae from 1985-2008! Noreen Craine '85, Christy Plotner '99, Jaime Baldante McCarthy '00, Honor Crowther Fagan '01, Brooke Wilson '06, Brennan Joyce '07, Elizabeth Kadison '06 (G '07), Shauna Culhane '08, and Courtney Zwirko '08 were all in attendence. We mixed the teams and played two halves of GREAT lacrosse! Highlights included seeing Courtney Zwirko play the field after four years of protecting the goal, Elizabeth Kadison doing her signature crease rolls, and Brennan Joyce continually keeping all of us in hysterics. Additionally, it was great to have Judith Theriault, our Friends of Jaclyn honorary teammate, cheering us on and taking the draw at various points throughout the game!

A HUGE thank you goes to Jaime McCarthy for all of her hard work in pulling together this alumnae game...one which we hope is the first of many more to come! Both Honor Fagan and Noreen Craine brought their children with them which was an added bonus for all of us - making it a family affair!

After the game, the 2009 team, along with some parents and the alumnae, joined together for a gathering at Union St in Newton Centre. It was great having everyone in one place and was a chance for many to reconnect. Hopefully these games and gatherings will become larger and larger with each passing year.

You can find pictures from the day in the picture section of the blog!

THANKS TO ALL THE ALUMNAE for joining us on Saturday!

Tournament at Harvard

The 2009 squad then kicked off its fall competition at Harvard on Sunday, competing against the Canadian National Team, Stanford, Boston University, and Albany. Many parents were there to cheer us on as usual...and keep us well fed! The Eagles kept focused throughout the long day, and made important strides from game to game. Each team was strong competition for BC and gave all of us a good sense of where we stand at this point in the fall season. The seniors, Lauren Fitzpatrick, Emily Hannigan, Maura Mahoney, Jenna McCabe, Katie Monaghan, Margot Spatola, and Rachel Tinquist, did an exceptional job of keeping the entire team focused on the day's goals and setting the standard for hustle all over the field. There is no doubt we are off to a great start for 2009, and everyone is looking forward to the next tournament at UNH on October 19th. We hope to see you there!

Keep up the great work, Eagles!

-Bowen