Terrier Twelve - #9: Gray Shines in Debut Season; Terriers Pull Off Top-10 Upset
July 6, 2018 | General, Men's Lacrosse
For the 11th straight year, GoTerriers.com will once again count down the top 12 achievements of Boston University teams and student-athletes from the previous year. Check back each Tuesday and Friday as we reveal this year's Terrier Twelve.
Coming in at No. 9 in this year's Terrier Twelve is Chris Gray's outstanding debut season for the men's lacrosse team, as the rookie attackman helped the Terriers pull off an upset of a top-10 team en route to their second consecutive appearance in the Patriot League semifinals.
Gray was one of the best freshmen in the country in 2018, rewriting the Terrier record book in his first year at BU. The USILA and Inside Lacrosse All-American set single-season program records with his 71 points and 40 assists in addition to scoring 31 goals. He twice tallied nine or more points in a single game, including the March 20 contest at Harvard in which he tallied a program-best eight assists as part of a record 10-point effort.
A First Team All-Patriot League selection, Gray also received national recognition when he was added to the Tewaaraton Watch List. In addition, he was honored with Rookie of the Year accolades from the Patriot League and the ECAC. He finished the season ninth overall and first among NCAA rookies in assists. In addition, Gray was 14th overall and second among all freshmen in total points. He was one of just seven players in the entire country to score 30 goals and add 40 assists this year.
The Wading River, New York, native was also a major part of one of the biggest wins in program history. He tallied five goals and four assists while also recording zero turnovers in the Terriers' thrilling 12-11 comeback win at then-No. 10 Bucknell in the Patriot League quarterfinals. BU, which had never won at Bucknell in its previous three tries, won two of its last three regular-season tilts just to get to the playoffs as the sixth seed.
Bucknell looked poised to move on after the Bison took an 11-6 lead with 6:04 remaining in the third quarter. However, the Terriers never gave up and scored the final six goals of the game to earn their first win over a top-10 opponent. Senior Hayden Ruiz assisted on the first two goals of that six-goal run before scoring with just two seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 11-9 entering the fourth quarter.
Gray took over from there, factoring on the final three goals of the game. He tied the game with his fifth marker of the contest before a sensational feed to junior Brendan Homire gave BU the lead for good with 6:56 to play. The Terrier defense and sophomore goalkeeper Joe McSorley then kept the Terriers on top, as McSorley made three of his 12 saves over the final 15 minutes. BU even killed off two man-down situations, including one in the final minute, to secure the historic win and a second straight Patriot League semifinal berth.
2017-18 Terrier Twelve
#10: Victoria Bach Rewrites the Women's Hockey Record Book
#11: Anderson's Standout Women's Swimming & Diving Senior Season
#12: Women's Soccer Standouts
