Men’s Lacrosse: Terriers Fall to Lafayette in Tight 11-9 Contest
By Riley Lackey
The No. 15 Boston University (8-4, 4-2 PL) lost to Lafayette College (8-4, 4-3 PL) 9-11 Saturday Afternoon in Easton, PA.
The Leopards came out strong on their Senior Day, celebrating their 12 graduating players with an energetic start.
Freshman attacker Joshua Heaney got Lafayette on the board first with his 20th goal of the season. Fellow freshman midfielder Mason Hill added another, giving the Leopards a two-goal lead after the first quarter.
BU opened the second quarter with possession after a holding call. The Terriers had a close opportunity, but a crease violation called off a promising goal. Just seconds later, sophomore long-stick midfielder Donald Varnerin took advantage of a goalie misstep, scoring BU’s first of the afternoon to cut the Leopards’ lead to 2-1.
Lafayette answered quickly through sophomore Jack Massotto, who landed his third of the season.
A one-minute non-releasable penalty on BU for an illegal body check gave the Leopards a man-up opportunity, which senior Liam Sargent capitalized on to extend the lead to 4-1.
The Terriers struggled with penalties throughout the quarter, going offsides and allowing Hill to strike again off an assist from freshman Benjamin DiBattista just as play returned to even strength.
BU finally got its first power play of the day after a tripping call on Lafayette. Senior attacker Brenden Kelly made the most of it, finishing a quick passing sequence with a crucial goal to bring BU within three.
Despite the momentum shift, the Terriers trailed 5-2 heading into halftime.
The Leopards struck first again in the third, as Heaney found the five-hole to make it 6-2.
Senior Riley Sullivan followed shortly after to push the lead to 7-2.
BU began to rally behind goals from Jimmy O’Connell and Jimmy Kohr, who scored twice, including one off a rebound, to pull the Terriers within two at 7-5.
Lafayette responded with another goal from Sullivan, his second of the game, and added a snipe from DiBattista to reclaim a four-goal lead at 9-5.
BU’s defense struggled to contain the Leopards’ attack, and Lafayette began to slow the tempo, trying to protect their lead.
Still, BU refused to go quietly. O’Connell scored two quick goals, including a diving effort and a wraparound finish, bringing the Terriers within striking distance at 9-7. He matched his career high of four goals.
But Heaney answered for Lafayette with his second of the day, followed by another BU goal that cut it to 10-8.
BU freshman Madden Murphy matched his career high in faceoff wins and ground balls, and the Terriers controlled faceoffs 13-11 against the Leopards.
Lafayette senior John Galbraith delivered the final blow, scoring the Leopards’ last goal of the game. Although O’Connell scored again late–his fourth goal of the game–BU ran out of time, and the comeback fell short.
The Terriers, now 4-1 in conference play, will look to bounce back next week when they host Lehigh at Nickerson Field on April 19. The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network at 2:30 p.m.