For the better part of four months, many of us watched some exciting college lacrosse, whether it was on TV, online, or in person. There were good games, which included all of Championship Weekend, and there were bad games, such as low scoring affairs and of course, the horrendous winter weather. I take a look back at all 69 Division I teams and how they fared this season and what to look forward to in 2016.
Check out previous recaps: NJIT Highlanders, UMass Lowell River Hawks, VMI Keydets, Manhattan Jaspers, Canisius Golden Griffins, Robert Morris Colonials, St. John’s Red Storm, Wagner Seahawks, Binghamton Bearcats, Bellarmine Knights, Jacksonville Dolphins, Furman Paladins, Lafayette Leopards, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers, Siena Saints, Delaware Blue Hens, UMBC Retrievers, Dartmouth Big Green, Providence Friars, Mercer Bears, Penn State Nittany Lions, Hofstra Pride, Michigan Wolverines, UMass Minutemen, Monmouth Hawks, Vermont Catamounts, Sacred Heart Pioneers, Holy Cross Crusaders, Penn Quakers, Villanova Wildcats
COMPARING 2014 AND 2015 IN NUMBERS
| 2014 Record | 2-12 |
| 2014 Conference Record | 2-6 (7th in Patriot League) |
| 2014 Scoring Offense | 7.21 Goals Per Game (61st in DI) |
| 2014 Scoring Defense | 11.00 Goals Against Per Game (T43rd in DI) |
| 2014 Goals Leader | #45 Ryan Johnston – Freshman (17 Gs) |
| 2014 Assists Leaders | #5 Cal Dearth – Freshman (15 As) #12 Adam Schaal – Freshman (15 As) |
| 2014 Points Leader | #5 Cal Dearth – Freshman (26 Pts) |
| 2014 Goaltending Leader | #13 Christian Carson-Banister – Freshman (.545 SV %) |
| 2014 Face-Off Leader | #31 Sam Talkow – Freshman (.567 FO %) |
| 2014 Ground Balls Leader | #31 Sam Talkow – Freshman (94 GBs) |
| 2014 Caused Turnovers Leader | #21 Greg Wozniak – Freshman (24 CTs) |
| 2014 Quality Wins | Lafayette (12-7), Holy Cross (9-8) |
| 2014 Bad Losses | Colgate (7-5), Army (8-7) |
| 2015 Record | 6-8 |
| 2015 Conference Record | 3-5 (8th in Patriot League) |
| 2015 Scoring Offense | 10.71 Goals Per Game (T23rd in DI) |
| 2015 Scoring Defense | 10.00 Goals Against Per Game (T28th in DI) |
| 2015 Goals Leaders | #33 Ryan Hilburn – Freshman (25 Gs) #6 Jack Wilson – Freshman (25 Gs) |
| 2015 Assists Leader | #5 Cal Dearth – Sophomore (23 As) |
| 2015 Points Leader | #5 Cal Dearth – Sophomore (42 Pts) |
| 2015 Goaltending Leader | #13 Christian Carson-Banister – Sophomore (.557 SV %) |
| 2015 Face-Off Leader | #31 Sam Talkow – Sophomore (.659 FO %) |
| 2015 Ground Balls Leader | #31 Sam Talkow – Sophomore (104 GBs) |
| 2015 Caused Turnovers Leader | #21 Greg Wozniak – Sophomore (23 CTs) |
| 2015 Quality Wins | Colgate (18-11), Bucknell (11-9) |
| 2015 Bad Losses | Loyola (8-6), Holy Cross (12-10) |
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Terriers were one of the more impressive teams for the first half of 2015. At many points during the season, they looked like more of a middle-of-the-pack Division I team than a team in their second season of DI play. But Boston fell flat on their face with six straight losses to end the season, and just short of an appearance in the Patriot League Tournament. But the accomplishments, such as their first ever ranking in March, cannot be thanked without the performance of the current players, such as sophomores Cal Dearth and Christian Carson-Banister, and freshmen Ryan Hilburn and Jack Wilson. BU has a lot of potential entering 2016 as well as 2017, when the first recruiting class becomes seniors.
The Terriers weren’t expected to make it to the Patriot League Tournament, let alone be a serious threat in the tough league. But BU started out 2-0 with wins over Mercer and Canisius, but faced Lehigh in their Patriot League opener in a snowy Bethlehem and fell by just a goal. A three-goal loss to Providence didn’t fit too well with the Terriers at 2-2. BU recorded four straight wins against Vermont, Colgate, Lafayette, and Bucknell and also entered into the polls at #19. But they entered they next game against Navy without starting goaltender Christian Carson-Banister. Carson-Banister was absent from their losses against Navy and Army, where freshman Colin MacDougall faced tough tasks in the cage, but also held his own. But even when the sophomore goalie returned for Harvard, the losing continued. A goal to the Crimson, followed by two goal losses against Loyola and Holy Cross in important Patriot League games ended their chances of a tourney appearance. A win in one of those two games would have given the Terriers a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. They lose to Duke 13-7 in their season finale.
I think BU is legit, and the first half of their season was no joke. The Patriot League is one of the top three toughest conferences to play in, and the Terriers experienced that, especially when Carson-Banister was out with an injury. Any team can win and lose against all the other eight teams in the conference, which makes league play so interesting and exciting to watch. BU could have easily been the third or fourth seed had they played like how they did in the first half of the season. And with only one senior leaving in 2016, the Terriers can sure accomplish that feat.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL |
| James Burr | Attack | Middlesex School (MA) |
| Thomas Schmidt | Midfield/FO | C.E. Jordan (NC)/Trinity-Pawling (NY) |
| Michael Laviano | Attack | Holy Trinity/St. Anthony’s (NY) |
| Cal Pearce | Defense/LSM | Lovett (GA) |
| Chris Lappin | Defense | Cardinal Gibbons (NC) |
| Grant Gregory | Attack | Dover-Sherborn (MA) |
| Quintin Germain | Defense | Chaminade (NY) |
| Matthew DeMarche | Midfield | Longmeadow (MA) |
| Eamon Hunter | Defense | Lincoln-Sudbury (MA) |
| Andrew Pugliese | Midfield/FO | Darien (CT) |
| Drew Lukacs | LSM | McCallie School (TN) |
| Brendan Homire | Attack/Midfield | St. Anthony’s (NY) |
| Sean McGovern | Goalie | Central Buck East (PA) |
| Jack Seminara | Midfield | Canisius (NY) |
The Terriers will continue their growth as a team, losing only one senior because of graduation. Entering Boston will be 14 new recruits, many of them from the Massachusetts and New York areas. As a relatively new team to the Division I scene, all positions will be up for grabs every year, similar to every other school. But as BU gets more players of better quality to replace some recruits from year one, positions will be anyone’s to lose.
