The Boston University men's lacrosse team will continue its 2019 season on Saturday when the Terriers travel to No. 15/16 Ohio State. Game time is set for 12 p.m.
BACK TO COLUMBUS
- This is the second straight year that BU will travel to Columbus to face the Buckeyes.Â
- BU suffered a 15-9 setback to Ohio State on Feb. 10, 2018, at Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
- The Buckeyes jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but the Terriers battled back and outscored Ohio State, 8-5, in the second half.
- James Burr tallied a team-high three goals while Brendan Homire and Chris Gray each recorded a goal and an assist.
- Sean Christman won four faceoffs and recorded three ground balls.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
- Ohio State opened its 2019 season last weekend with a 12-9 home win over Cleveland State.
- Jack Jasinski led the Buckeyes with five points on three goals and two assists.
- Tre Leclaire also scored three goals while Jackson Reid and Lukas Buckley each tallied two goals and one assist.
- Justin Inacio went 11-of-23 at the faceoff X with nine ground balls.
- Ohio State won 32 ground balls in total while Cleveland State gathered 24.
- OSU went 0-for-4 during man-up situations while allowing Cleveland State to score on three of its six EMOs on Saturday.
- Josh Kirson made 16 saves in the cage.
ANOTHER THRILLER AGAINST PROVIDENCE
- For the third straight year, the Terriers earned a one-goal victory over Providence in their season opener, this time rallying for an 8-7 win on Sunday in Rhode Island.
- The Terriers trailed, 6-5, heading into the final quarter before they scored three straight goals to grab an 8-6 lead.
- Junior Joe McSorley made a career-high 24 saves, including 10 in the final 30 minutes to hold Providence to just two second-half goals.
- Sophomore Chris Gray led BU with three goals and one assist.
- Senior James Burr scored two goals and assisted on freshman Jett Dziama's first collegiate goal that put BU up, 8-6.
- Freshman Jack Collins scored his first two collegiate goals in the first quarter.
- Senior Brendan Homire notched one assist, but more importantly he forced a Providence turnover late in the fourth quarter and picked up the ensuing ground ball, which allowed BU to have the final possession of the game.
- Sophomore Sean Christman went 8-of-11 at the faceoff X and won five ground balls.
- The Terriers went 4-of-4 clearing in the fourth quarter.
- BU caused 10 of the Friars' 12 turnovers, with Homire, junior Nicholas Ellerton and senior Quintin Germain and junior Reece Eddy each responsible for two apiece.
STELLAR IN SEASON OPENERS
- Sunday's win was the Terriers' fifth straight win in a season opener.
- The lone loss on opening day came during the program's inaugural campaign in 2014.
- Four of those five victories have been against Providence.
BURR CLOSING IN ON CENTURY MARK
- Senior James Burr needs just one goal to become the second player in program history to score 100 career goals.
- He enters Saturday with 99 goals, a program-record 45 of which came in 2018.
- Jack Wilson ('18) is the only other Terrier with 100 goals; he finished his storied BU career with 108 goals.
- Burr is also third in career points with 125 (99g, 26a), trailing only Wilson (170 points) and 2017 graduate Cal Dearth (153 points).
- He enters Saturday on an 18-game goal streak, fourth-longest in the nation.
- It is the longest such streak among Patriot League players.
FOUR TERRIERS TAKE HOME WEEKLY AWARDS
- Sophomore Sean Christman (Faceoff Specialist of the Week), freshman Jack Collins (Rookie of the Week), sophomore Chris Gray (Offensive Player of the Week) and junior Joe McSorley (Goalkeeper of the Week) were all recognized by the Patriot League on Monday.
- This is the highest number of award winners the program has ever boasted in a single week.
INSIDE MCSORLEY'S CAREER DAY
- Junior Joe McSorley made a career-high 24 saves on Sunday at Providence.
- That total was one shy of the program record of 25 saves that Christian Carson-Banister ('17) set against Duke on May 4, 2014.
- McSorley stopped 14 shots in the first half and followed with 10 more saves in the second half, including several highlight-reel efforts.
- He finished with a .774 save percentage, which ranks first in the conference and third in the NCAA, while his 7.00 goals-against average is second in the PL and eighth in the nation.
DEFENSE DELIVERS AGAINST FRIARS
- BU held Providence to just seven goals on Sunday, a mark that is tied for fourth in the country and first in the Patriot League.
- Only three teams in the nation allowed fewer goals last weekend than the Terriers.
- BU accomplished that with two new starters at close defense, junior Nicholas Ellerton (2 CT, 2 GB on Sunday) and sophomore Nick Mohler (1 CT, 1 GB).
- Senior Quintin Germain anchored the defense with two caused turnovers and one ground ball.
- Germain held the Friars' top returning scorer to just one goal on Sunday.
GRAY PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
- Sophomore Chris Gray did not miss a beat from last year's record-setting season, completing a hat trick and adding an assist to lead the Terriers' offense at Providence.
- It was his sixth career game with three or more goals and the 10th time that he recorded four or more points in a game.
- Gray's goal just 41 seconds into the fourth quarter on Sunday at Providence was his final marker of the game and helped spark the Terrier comeback.
CHRISTMAN DOMINANT AT THE X
- Sophomore Sean Christman was sensational at the faceoff X at Providence, going 8-for-11 with five ground balls in the Terriers' 8-7 victory.
- Christman was 4-of-5 in the fourth quarter to help the Terriers stage their rally.
- His win percentage of .727 is tied for third in the NCAA and is best in the conference.
COLLINS SHINES IN COLLEGIATE DEBUT
- Freshman Jack Collins scored two goals in his collegiate debut on Sunday in the 8-7 win at Providence.
- Both of Collins' goals came during the opening quarter.
- Starting in midfield, Collins scored on his only two shots of the game.
- He also added a ground ball.
DZIAMA CLUTCH IN DEBUT, TOO
- Freshman Jett Dziama also made the most of his collegiate debut, scoring his first goal with 4:31 remaining in regulation to give the Terriers' an 8-6 lead.
- That goal proved to be the game-winner.
GREAT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER
- Dating back to last season's game against Holy Cross, BU has allowed just seven fourth-quarter goals in its last five contests.
- That amounts to a 1.40 goals-against average in the final 15 minutes of those games.
