BOSTON – Facing its second ranked opponent in as many weeks, the Boston University women's lacrosse faded in the second half as it fell to No. 22 UMass, 23-13, Sunday afternoon in its Nickerson Field opener.
 
Claire Gola and Emily Vervlied paced the attack with three goals and two assists apiece while five Terriers recorded multi-goal efforts. Jennifer Barry was stellar on the draw once again, setting a new career-high with 10 wins, and Sarah Mazza led the team with three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

BU went back-and-forth with the Minutewomen as the visitors eked out an 11-8 advantage at the half. UMass started the second half with a 6-1 run as it pulled away down the stretch to take the win.

How It Happened

• Lauren Kaye found Jennifer Barry right in front of the crease before Jennifer and Ava Barry worked the sister-sister connection to tie it up, 2-2.
• Makenzie Irvine scored just 40 seconds after Barry to give BU its first lead, 3-2, with 24:32 remaining in the half.
• UMass took advantage of turnovers and winning the draw, using a 5-0 run to take a 7-3 grip at the midway point in the first.
• Vervlied got the Terriers back on track, striking with back-to-back goals to make it a two-game, 7-5.
• Following a 2-0 streak by the Minutewomen, Kaye and Gola went for unassisted goals before Irvine dodged through a pair of defenders to make it a two-goal game once more, 10-8, though UMass struck in the closing seconds of the half to pull ahead by three at the break.
• Kaye kept the Terriers within three by working from behind the cage for her second of the day with 25:48 to play, but UMass netted the next five over a six-minute span to break the game open.
• Gola snapped the run with a free position strike and followed just over a minute later to maintain the single-digit deficit, 19-11, with 17:01 to play.
• The Minutewomen added four straight goals until the Barry sisters connected again, and Vervlied netted the final goal of the day as the score finalized as 23-13.

Game Notes

• Sunday marked the first time since the 2014 campaign where BU has opened up its season with back-to-back matchups against ranked opponents.
• Kennady Smith earned her first start of the season in net, making five saves, while Arielle Hammer also saw time and recorded two saves.
• UMass held a 21-17 advantage in draw controls and a 21-14 advantage in turnovers.

Up Next

• The Terriers will return to the road as they travel to Vermont on Sunday, March 7.
• Sarah Dalton Graddock '09, who owns BU's career and single-season goals and points records, is in her fifth season as head coach of the Catamounts.