Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/26/24
From Press Release
Boston College got key contributions from Philly grads and won its second women’s lacrosse national championship, rallying to defeat Northwestern, 14-13, on Sunday afternoon at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The No. 2 seed Eagles (20-3) trailed 6-0 after one quarter but battled back to knock off the No. 1 seed and reigning NCAA champion Wildcats and earn their second title in four seasons (2021).
Kayla Martello scored five goals for Boston College and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Rachel Clark (Conestoga) scored a pair of goals and dished out four assists. Shea Dolce made nine saves for the Eagles, but none bigger than her incredible kick save on a point-blank shot from Dylan Amonte with just 28 seconds remaining.
Martello was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Clark, Dolce, Mckenna Davis and Emma LoPinto. Syracuse’s Kate Mashewske and goalie Delaney Sweitzer (Springside Chestnut Hill) also earned spots on the team.
BC’s defense also got big contributions from grad student Becky Browndorf (Upper Dublin, 1 GB) and freshman Lydia Colasante (Tatnall School, 1 GB). For Northwestern, reserve defender Hannah Gillespie (Academy of Notre Dame) had a groundball.
BC trailed 6-0 after one quarter but slowly chipped away at the Wildcats’ lead. Martello scored four straight BC goals in the quarter as the Eagles cut the deficit to two, 8-6, at halftime. BC twice cut the lead to one in the third quarter, but Northwestern answered each time and pushed the lead back to two, 11-9, on an Izzy Scane goal with 14:19 left in the fourth.
Boston College scored four straight goals to take its first lead, which it did not relinquish. Clark scored back-to-back goals to tie the game at 11 with 11:05 remaining, and Andrea Reynolds scored with 9:39 left for a 12-11 edge. Martello scored her fifth goal with 5:55 remaining.
The Eagles also avenged one of their three losses of the regular season. Northwestern defeated BC, 14-11, on Feb. 29 in Newton, Massachusetts.
