Boston College

[Lax101]

On the attack side both Lopinto and Davis will have good years but they have to play in the flow of the offense. Rachel Clark scored at will in the fall. She may have a monster year. BC also very strong in midfield.

[Womenslaxxfan]

BC Season Preview

In ’23, BC season required adjustments as they developed a new identity following the departure of another legend. Wouldn’t have been shocking if BC had a down year but experience, character and culture carried them through adversity to the final weekend again. Let’s look forward to what it will take for the Eagles to make another run. We begin with the offense.

For some perspective, here is BC’s top line opponent-adjusted ranking from 2023—(Lacrossereference.com)

Offensive Efficiency
Nationally 5th
ACC 4th

The numbers look pretty good; wouldn’t have to change much in order to have another great season. But what the hell--we can still nitpick to find small opportunities for improvement. Beats the shorts v kilt debate.

BC’s raw assist rate ~54% was among the best in the country last year-- the 10-point jump from 2022 is a great indicator of how the offense transformed in 2023. Goals per game were down from ~17 in 2022 to just over 14 g/g last year. However, time of possession was among the very best which helped offensive efficiency remain top 5. The ’23 Eagles were a poised group that never panicked and consistently worked for better shots.

Most coaches would sign up for that type of offense, right? But is it possible they were too deliberate at times? Eagles ball movement was great, though sometimes they relied more heavily on perfect passing plays rather than getting to the net off the dodge. There were dry spells against the better D units. If anyone asked me (and they should not), here are few opportunities:

Dodge – transfer additions Lopinto and Clark are both legit dodging threats who could make up for losing last year’s primary 1v1 beast from the wing, J Medjid, as well as Court Weeks. The remaining attackers and a handful of middies can all beat their defenders off the dribble and demand a slide. A team that commits to dodging downhill from anywhere in the formation could put more pressure on opposing defenses and inflict a little more fatigue.

Free Positions – more physical dodging means more fouls and fp chances. BC’s new mix of finishers this year will look to improve on last year’s 44% conversion rate and give the Eag’s a bigger advantage in this regard.

Transition – I believe lax should be played up and down the field with more speed/creativity and a little less settled specialization. So, I will always root for more transition. But BC actually has the personnel to pull it off. Defense and middies have speed to burn. Attackers have the vision and skill to finish. If they prioritize running, they could get a few more easy/fun goals.

If BC can do the above and maintain an assist rate around 50% they will set scoring records and have a great chance to win it all.

user1020 said it well (paraphrasing):

BC might have the most complete attack in a recent history of the sport. I’m not saying they have the best attack ever and are going to be the best set this year (which they might be), but when you picture the ideal attacking skill set they have it all. Each player I think is going to compliment each other well and it should be a balanced attack.

Time to get locked in!

Good analysis and thank you for the enthusiasm . On paper, Clark and lopinto more than make up for the graduation of medjid. Clark is a proven nightmare matchup in the acc for two years. Lopinto will get the chance to prove that she can maintain her high level of play in a much tougher schedule.
The lose Welch and schleicher but gain browndorf—and schleicher was basically a shadow of herself last year due to injury.
If there are enough balls to go around for Clark, lopinto, smith, weeks, Martello and Davis, bc has the best offense in the country. But that’s a big IF…..

[GratefulRed]

Great summary of the offense. Are you working on the defensive summary now?

Sheesh! Gimme a sec (honey), I'll get to it.

[GratefulRed]

BC Season Preview (part 2)

Defensive Efficiency 2023- Opponent Adjusted (lacrossereference.com)
Nationally-- 7th
ACC—2nd

Goals Against Avg-- 9.17

Caused Turnover average-- 7.5 per game (rank 70th?!) Nope, this doesn’t add up. Granted, CTO is one of the tougher
stats to score but this should be better. They clearly need an ex-defender’s parent spotting.

Womenslaxxfan started us off in terms of how the personnel landscape has changed.

The lose Welch and schleicher but gain browndorf—and schleicher was basically a shadow of herself last year due to injury.

I’ll add that the loss of Sophia Taglich may not jump off the page in terms of stat production, but she leaves a bigger hole in terms of leadership. The unit did get used to playing without Schleicher due to her injury, but that loss still can’t be overstated. But tranfers Browndorf and Green, sophomore M. O’Connor, solid middies up top and freshman depth allow Coach Kent the ability to run whatever she wants. Goalie Dolce should see lots of forced/low-angle shots and take the next step toward greatness. If defense wins championships, the Eagles should be in the hunt again in ’24.

Draw % 2023-Opponent Adjusted
Nationally-- 9th
ACC—5th

Draw success came by committee in ’23. No player reached 100 DC and the leader in that category (Reynolds) came from the circle. Even if the opponent had a wizard at the dot, as long as the ball hit the ground the Eagles would win 3v3 battles more often than not. Considering the rule changes, it will be interesting to see how that formula holds up. Previously, getting to the ball first was no guarantee of success. Now it becomes a bigger advantage if the new rules are enforced on the draw and every foul results in a card.

Fortunately, BC have options. R Smith (90DC) has a nose for the ball and will just keep getting better entering her second year taking draws. Sophomore A. Herod is known for her ball placement and has seen success in big games. The same cast of dawgs on the circle with added depth sets up well—communication and discipline will be key.

Here's to a fun and healthy season for all. One more week--Let’s go!

[Can Opener]

Wow. Eags looked pretty dang good yesterday. That attack unit is a defender's nightmare. It seems that Davis is dodging with more strength and confidence and Lopinto was as good as advertised. Chemistry and balance seemed good. Nice to see Reynolds emerge with a hat trick. She is one of the fastest and strongest natural athletes on the team. Maybe with the "who the heck should we guard" quality of the attack, more space will open up for #16 this year. It seems that AWW had her playing a specific role on offense over the past few seasons but she is now being let off leash. Wouldn't be shocked to see some post-season honors coming her way, particularly if voters appreciate her relentless work on the draw circle. Given the time of possession disparity yesterday, it was harder to get a read on the D, but I expect them and Dolce to be excellent.

[Womenslaxxfan]

Wow. Eags looked pretty dang good yesterday. That attack unit is a defender's nightmare. It seems that Davis is dodging with more strength and confidence and Lopinto was as good as advertised. Chemistry and balance seemed good. Nice to see Reynolds emerge with a hat trick. She is one of the fastest and strongest natural athletes on the team. Maybe with the "who the heck should we guard" quality of the attack, more space will open up for #16 this year. It seems that AWW had her playing a specific role on offense over the past few seasons but she is now being let off leash. Wouldn't be shocked to see some post-season honors coming her way, particularly if voters appreciate her relentless work on the draw circle. Given the time of possession disparity yesterday, it was harder to get a read on the D, but I expect them and Dolce to be excellent.

And Rachel Clark didn’t even play yesterday!!!

[Relax77]

2024 National Champs

[watcherinthewoods]

2024 National Champs

I only caught bits and pieces of this game, but I thought BC attack looked like it was their first game. Upside? Sure, especially when you add Clarke into the mix. Dolce in my mind is a question mark and her stat line from yesterday showed it.

When it comes to who might make a title run, I am way more interested in what is brewing in Denver ... but no one saw it since you have to pay for a single school pass. Why does no one realize that not being affiliated with a national streaming network hurts the profile of your program? Get with the program, Pios.

[GratefulRed]

Solid start for the Eag's.

Programming note--the Albany game moved to Wed 14th due to impending weather.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Folks--it's Rachel Clark. No "e" at the end of her name. You're mixing up heroes from the Philly area...

[lacrossemwj]

How did you all watch games? Not on espn+ and there's no link on their site to games other than the ACC ones later inthe season.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

How did you all watch games? Not on espn+ and there's no link on their site to games other than the ACC ones later inthe season.

The BC/UMass game was streamed on espn+. (The replay should still be available for a couple/few weeks. [unless ESPN changed their replay policy])

I also watched games on BTN+, Denver Vision for the Denver Pioneers game, and YouTube TV for the Clemson/Davidson game. Oh--and America East TV for the Hop/Albany game.

https://www.espn.com/espnplus/schedule/ ... e/20240209

Added link for espn+ replays

[watcherinthewoods]

Has anyone else noted that #45 has not played in 2024? Assume some sort of injury. BC followers, care to comment?

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Yep--Sydney Scales hasn't appeared on the stat sheet this year so far. Good luck hearing an announcement about it from BC, though. I guess we just have to deduce that she's injured.

[watcherinthewoods]

Yep--Sydney Scales hasn't appeared on the stat sheet this year so far. Good luck hearing an announcement about it from BC, though. I guess we just have to deduce that she's injured.

Thanks for checking me ... I thought I was missing something.

[GratefulRed]

Northwestern @ Boston College

They will lift the dust cover off the facility at Boston College’s Newton Campus Thursday to do it right for ESPNU (hopefully they can get the lights to flicker on at least one more time). The Wildcats are very much the same team as last year; a known championship quantity, a year older. The 2024 BC Eagles are a different story with new faces at both ends.

Northwestern has been tested already and the top-line offensive numbers are essentially the same as last year. They will shoot from anywhere, early and often, to the tune of 36 per game and convert at about a 45% clip. While their adjusted defensive efficiency remains top-10, they have given up more goals so far this year. Curious if the D/Goalie corps may be nicked? This could leave an opening for the retooled BC attack.

The BC offense has been putting up big numbers (so shas the rest of the team), but that stat sheet is only good for lighting the charcoal grill on the west lot Thursday. The ‘new’ 2024 unit hasn’t yet been forced to play from behind or operate under heavy tension, so even they don’t fully know how they will respond to adversity. I like their chances, though, with battle-tested leadership to lean on.

#45 S Scales has started the past 2 games for the BC defense. If she is close to 100% the D unit (and the rest of us) can sleep better, though they have showed no signs of slippage. Despite Syd’s return, first-year Lydia C #20 has continued to start. Another impressive freshman - will be fun watching her adjust to top-5 level, though she did get a taste of this NU offense at the U20 exhibition last fall.

A few other questions/thoughts:

NU goalie status—will we get our first look at Argentieri this season?

Mindset—This game doesn’t really matter(?) It definitely doesn’t mean as much for the Wildcats. The Eag’s are the ones with something to prove and it’s always tough to channel that emotion. If too aggressive, NU’s Second City-worthy improvs could result in a lot of cards and FPs for the purple.

Weather—cold and blustery gameday (but dry) with wind chills dipping into the teens. Hopefully the gusts calm by gametime and the weather doesn’t impact the game too much. The atmosphere should still be electric with about 1500 Eag’s fans trying to stay warm.

Despite the Newton field advantage, my head gives Northwestern a slight edge since BC has a few questions to answer. My heart tells me BC hangs 20 and cruises to win by 5. Either way, it will be a great test.

Let’s go Eagles!

[Seacoaster(1)]

Northwestern @ Boston College

They will lift the dust cover off the facility at Boston College’s Newton Campus Thursday to do it right for ESPNU (hopefully they can get the lights to flicker on at least one more time). The Wildcats are very much the same team as last year; a known championship quantity, a year older. The 2024 BC Eagles are a different story with new faces at both ends.

Northwestern has been tested already and the top-line offensive numbers are essentially the same as last year. They will shoot from anywhere, early and often, to the tune of 36 per game and convert at about a 45% clip. While their adjusted defensive efficiency remains top-10, they have given up more goals so far this year. Curious if the D/Goalie corps may be nicked? This could leave an opening for the retooled BC attack.

The BC offense has been putting up big numbers (so shas the rest of the team), but that stat sheet is only good for lighting the charcoal grill on the west lot Thursday. The ‘new’ 2024 unit hasn’t yet been forced to play from behind or operate under heavy tension, so even they don’t fully know how they will respond to adversity. I like their chances, though, with battle-tested leadership to lean on.

#45 S Scales has started the past 2 games for the BC defense. If she is close to 100% the D unit (and the rest of us) can sleep better, though they have showed no signs of slippage. Despite Syd’s return, first-year Lydia C #20 has continued to start. Another impressive freshman - will be fun watching her adjust to top-5 level, though she did get a taste of this NU offense at the U20 exhibition last fall.

A few other questions/thoughts:

NU goalie status—will we get our first look at Argentieri this season?

Mindset—This game doesn’t really matter(?) It definitely doesn’t mean as much for the Wildcats. The Eag’s are the ones with something to prove and it’s always tough to channel that emotion. If too aggressive, NU’s Second City-worthy improvs could result in a lot of cards and FPs for the purple.

Weather—cold and blustery gameday (but dry) with wind chills dipping into the teens. Hopefully the gusts calm by gametime and the weather doesn’t impact the game too much. The atmosphere should still be electric with about 1500 Eag’s fans trying to stay warm.

Despite the Newton field advantage, my head gives Northwestern a slight edge since BC has a few questions to answer. My heart tells me BC hangs 20 and cruises to win by 5. Either way, it will be a great test.

Let’s go Eagles!

Thanks Red. Can’t wait!

[njbill]

Most of the top programs seem to schedule tough games early on. BC seems to be an exception. They have not played a tough opponent yet. Will that impact the game tomorrow? Don’t know.

Boston has a huge gap to close from last May. Northwestern, however, has not looked like that team though. I don’t think you can tell much about this BC team from their games to date. I certainly expect the game will be closer than the finals.

Dolce gets a lot of publicity. More than she should in my book. She’ll certainly need to play an awful lot better than she did in the finals last year. She’s a hot and cold goalie, as many are. If she’s hot tomorrow, Northwestern could be in for a long afternoon.

[GratefulRed]

We'll see how long it takes BC to get up to speed. Eagles played them tough last Feb at their place. Had them on the ropes but ended up losing by one. That's more the type of game I’m expecting (minus the losing part).

Dolce has been looking sharp. Tough to do when not seeing a lot of shots. I’m sure she will see plenty tomorrow.

[Lax101]

So many things will determine tomorrow's game. Turnovers in the tough weather and who is more disciplined and opportunistic when it comes to green and yellow cards might be a big factor.