Men’s Lacrosse: No. 15 BU Upset by Colgate in Terriers’ First PL Loss
Featured Image by Jenny Chen
By Kasie Costalas
After a shocking first quarter deficit, #15 Boston University Men’s Lacrosse (5-3, 3-1 PL) was upset by the Colgate Raiders (2-6, 1-3 PL) in a dramatic back-and-forth battle at Andy Kerr Stadium.
Less than 30 seconds into the game, Terriers sophomore attacker, Timothy Shannehan, scored in transition to mark his 100th career goal. Shannehan leads BU this season with 22 goals and 38 points.
Colgate responded two minutes later during the Terriers’ 10-man-ride, shooting at an empty BU net from beyond the midfield line. The pole goal propelled the Raiders into a four goal run for their first lead.
Shannehan finished the first period with another goal, making it 4-2. He started the next quarter with a bang, scoring on a crease roll just 15 seconds in to secure an early hat trick.
Colgate responded to reclaim their 2 goal lead. However, Terriers goalie Connor Phillips put his athleticism on display, coming out of the crease to secure a nugget. He found junior Luke Davis at the midfield for an immediate clear to spark quick ball movement down field. Terriers attacker Peyton Forte absorbed a hit from Colgate’s goalie on the crease as he buried the ball in the back of the net.
The Raiders answered back quickly, but Forte was already hot. The freshman proceeded to put up two more back-to-back goals to tie the game, 6-6. In his first eight games as a Terrier, Forte has already put up 26 points and earned a spot on Inside Lacrosse’s early season list of impact freshmen.
Shortly after evening out the score, senior attacker Charlie Howard reclaimed BU’s lead with a 1v1 drive from behind the cage.
Despite giving Colgate a two-man-up opportunity in the final three minutes of the half, the Terriers defense held onto their lead thanks to a pick from junior defender Murphy McLaughlin.
BU’s edge was soon erased by three unanswered Colgate goals, but Terriers attacker Jimmy Kohr managed to stop the bleeding with his first 1v1 victory. The Raiders scored for a fourth time, but Kohr executed a hat trick of his own during the third quarter. Combined with a fourth goal from Forte, the Terriers entered the final frame of play with a slim 11-10 lead.
After heavy back and forth play, BU midfielder Andrew Pape received a feed inside with two seconds left on the shot clock. He got the reset, and Kohr managed to collect the rebound right on the doorstep, ripping the ball to score his fourth and final goal with 10 minutes left to play.
Colgate brought the game back within one after a Raiders defender managed to score a second empty net goal from behind the midfield line. Less than one minute later, Colgate’s Hunter Drouin tied the game off a low to high rip.
With six minutes left to play, the Raiders found the back of the net again, securing their first lead in nearly 20 minutes.
Despite multiple unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties against Colgate in the final moments of the game and a hard-fought ending for BU, Colgate managed to put it out of reach with a final goal at the 30 second mark, ending the game 14-12.
In uncharacteristic play for BU, the Terriers had 21 turnovers and struggled to gain possession at the X. While they ended the game with 13 on 28, BU only collected 2 faceoffs in the first half. Phillips kept the Terriers alive in goal with a career high 17 saves, totaling 54% on the day. The sophomore goalie collected one caused turnover and seven ground balls.
The Terriers will look to bounce back at home for the Charles River Rivalry on Tuesday, March 24th at 7 p.m. when they take on Harvard at Nickerson Field.