The men’s lacrosse team closed out its final home game of the regular season with a monumental 11-9 win against No. 15 Boston University at Fisher Stadium on Saturday. The victory puts the team in fourth place in the Patriot League with one conference game remaining, leaving the Leopards in the driver’s seat to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Senior attacker Riley Sullivan would ensure the Leopards (4-3 Patriot League, 8-4 overall) started the game on the right foot, assisting freshman attacker Joshua Heaney as he snuck his shot past the Terrier (4-2 Patriot League, 8-4 overall) goaltender on the short side. Freshman midfielder Mason Hill doubled the advantage off a second Sullivan assist.
It was a markedly better start from the Leopards, who allowed themselves to fall behind early against Navy last week.
“Our coach said that the second half of Navy, when we were just scrapping and clawing, was the most important half of lacrosse we played all year, because we got our edge back,” Sullivan said. “We just carried that through to the beginning of this game.”
The Leopards kept their foot down as the first half progressed, heading into half time with a three-goal lead at 5-2. Frustrating the Terriers, the Maroon and White forced Boston into 14 first-half turnovers, Boston’s highest mark in the Patriot League this season.
Senior midfielder Liam Sargent noted that head coach Patrick Myers focused on their ability to cause problems.
“He’s put a lot of emphasis on us on just stepping up and trying to create chaos,” Sargent said. “Clearly it was affecting their clear, got us more possessions and helped us win.”
To start the third quarter, the Leopards continued pouring it on, grabbing two more goals from Heaney and Sullivan to make it a 7-2 game. However, the Terriers found some life, going on a three-goal run of their own to claw the game back to 7-5. With tension building inside Fisher Stadium, Sullivan notched another goal to restore a three-goal cushion and settle the nerves.
“We finally got another good offensive possession under our belt,” Sullivan said. “Jack Irish set a great pick for me and I came off it hands free and let it fly.”
Freshman attacker Benjamin DiBattista closed out the third quarter with a goal to make it 9-5, before Heaney completed his hat trick and senior midfielder John Galbraith scored to protect the Leopards’ lead from the late Terrier surge en route to an 11-9 win.
“I think that we were firing on all cylinders,” Sargent said. “When we’re clicking like that, it’s pretty hard to stop us.”
Junior goalie Joe Doherty was stellar in goal for the Leopards, recording 11 saves on BU’s 20 shots on goal, including a miraculous diving save in the second quarter to deny what appeared to be an empty net shot. Doherty was awarded Patriot League goalkeeper of the week for his efforts.
“He’s unbelievable,” Sargent said of Doherty. “Every week, he’s holding us down making some incredible saves.”
Saturday served as the Leopards’ senior game, with 12 members of the class of 2025 being honored before the game against the Terriers. Sullivan was also recognized for reaching the 100-point milestone, a feat which he achieved against Navy.
The Leopards hit the road to take on the University of Virginia (5-7 overall) this weekend before their final Patriot League game against Lehigh University (4-2 Patriot League, 5-7 overall) on April 25. Both Sullivan and Sargent emphasized the particular importance of the Lehigh matchup.
“We don’t like those guys, and they don’t like us,” Sullivan said. “There’s a mutual respect there. That’s the biggest one of the year.”
