Women’s Lacrosse: Analyzing the 2016 Schedule
By: Marisa Ingemi
Coming off of an 8-10 season, the Boston University Terriers still have something to build off of. A 5-3 record in the Patriot League, one of the best conferences in the country, shows a potentially bright future for the team. The schedule is out, so we take a look at the Terrier opponents of 2016.
2/14 vs. #8 Boston College
The Terriers ended 2015 with a loss at Chestnut Hill, 17-9, so they open the season with an early shot at revenge. Boston College is one of the best teams in the nation and there is no way to get past the fact that this will be a tough game. The schedule, in general ,is tough to start the year, but this may be the most difficult game on the schedule for BU.
2/20 @ Fairfield
BU did not play Fairfield last season. The Stags are arguably the best team in the MAAC after losing just three starters from last year’s team. The conference is a tough one, and Fairfield will be battling with Canisius for the title. This game is a challenge for the Terriers early in the season. Six of seven players on the Stags return who contributed 20 points or more in 2015.
2/24 @ UMass
The Minutemen held BU to only two goals in a 7-2 loss last season. The Minutemen are projected to win the Atlantic-10 conference after winning the league for the past seven seasons. Despite losing some cogs in the starting lineup, the Minutemen lost only 30% of their point total, according to Lacrosse Magazine, and will be the third straight tough test for the Terriers to face.
3/1 @ Dartmouth
The Big Green were a victory for BU last season. Dartmouth is in the middle of the pack of the Ivy League and lost six starters from last year, so this is a team the Terriers could catch in a rebuild.
3/8 @ American
BU also defeated American last season in its first conference win. At 4-12, the Eagles were one of the teams in the lower half of a Patriot League conference that drops off fast. They did win two conference games last season, but this is a good Patriot League opener for the Terriers to open conference play with.
3/11 @ #13 Johns Hopkins
The Blue Jays are only one of two opponents the Terriers did not face in 2015. Last season Hopkins went 14-4, only falling to elite programs such as Loyola, Boston College, Maryland, and Penn State. Led by 52 points in 2015 by Dene Dimartino, Hopkins will once again be one of the best teams in the nation.
3/19 vs. Bucknell
BU defeated the Bison last season. Bucknell was an abysmal 2-15 and did not win a single one of its seven conference games. Unless something changes drastically, this will be a conference victory for BU.
3/22 vs. Vanderbilt
Last season the Terriers lost on the road at Vanderbilt. The Commodores are another middle of the pack team in a good Big East conference, and they will return six of their starters despite being the only team in the conference to lose their starting goalie. This is their first year in a new conference, along with Florida who are the front runners, and this could be a big game on the Commodores schedule midway through the season.
3/26 vs. #17 Loyola
The Terriers lost both their games against Loyola last season. The Greyhounds went 17-5 last season to win the Patriot League and were undefeated in conference play. All six of the Greyhounds’ leading scorers have graduated, meaning there might be some room for struggles with this team, but they are still the cream of the Patriot League.
3/30 @ Colgate
The Terriers fell to Colgate in 2015, 11-7. The Red Raiders are ranked by Lacrosse Magazine to be the third place team in the conference, one slot ahead of the Terriers. Where Colgate is hurt the most is the lost of their goaltender, Jennie Berglin, who was the best in the conference.
4/2 vs. Lehigh
BU defeated Lehigh on the road last season and also at home. The Mountain Hawks had a weak conference record, thanks to the two BU losses, and that left them behind the Terriers in the standings despite a better record. They lost one top scorer in Carli Sukonik, but other than that, retained most of their lineup.
4/9 @ Lafayette
Lafayette was one of the eight victories for BU last season. Just like the men’s lacrosse team, the Leopards are a punching bag as well in the Patriot League for women’s lacrosse. With a 4-13 record last season, it doesn’t look like Lafayette is getting much better and this should be another conference victory.
4/13 vs. New Hampshire
The Terriers suffered a 9-8 loss on the road at New Hampshire last season. The Wildcats lost quite a bit from last season, losing many of their top scorers, which means this late season game could see them out of the race in the America East conference.
4/16 @ Navy
The Terriers fell to Navy last year, 11-8. The Midshipmen are the team to watch in the Patriot League this season as a team that can overtake Loyola as the top team in the conference. They went 15-5 last year and would be a team to watch out for as Loyola has lost nine of its starters. They have been in six of the last seven conference championships and will be one of the biggest challenges for BU this season.
4/20 vs. Holy Cross
BU barely got past Holy Cross last season, 9-8. Holy Cross went 4-14 a year ago, but three of those victories were in the conference. BU nearly fell to the Crusaders, so this might be a tougher game than it will get credit for.
4/23 vs. Army
BU did not face Army last season. This is the Black Knights’ first year at the division one level and in the Patriot League. It remains to be seen how well Army does in its first season, but if they are like most new programs, this could be a nice win to end the season for BU.