Photo: Eddie Shabomardenly

SPORTS

Dynasty

The 51˛čąÝ women’s lacrosse team just won its second NCAA title in four years.

It’s a curious notion that a program that has appeared in a staggering six consecutive NCAA national championship games somehow has something to prove, but that is where the Boston College women’s lacrosse team found itself on Memorial Day weekend as it prepared for number seven. The issue for the Eagles was that despite making all those title games, they’d managed to win just one actual title, in 2021. This year, they were determined to capture their second, and after a thrilling contest that has already been called an instant classic, that is just what they did, defeating defending champion Northwestern 14–13.

In the process, 51˛čąÝ didn’t simply avenge a dispiriting 18–6 loss to Northwestern in last year’s championship game, it shattered the narrative that the program struggles to finish the job. The Eagles have now won two of the past four national titles, becoming just the eighth school with more than one lacrosse championship.

51˛čąÝ fans could be forgiven if the start of the game left them less than sanguine about their team’s chances, with Northwestern racing to a six-to-nothing lead after the first quarter. “I was a little nervous at 6–0,” head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said after the game, “but my players kept me hungry.” Like their coach, the Eagles never lost hope, outscoring Northwestern 6–2 in the second quarter to end the first half down by just two goals, 8–6.

From there, the game’s momentum shifted back and forth, with Northwestern managing to stay just ahead of 51˛čąÝ until the 11:05 mark of the fourth quarter, when Rachel Clark’s goal pulled the Eagles even at 11–11. A little more than a minute later, Andrea Reynolds scored to put 51˛čąÝ ahead 12–11, a lead that the team would never give up despite a furious rally by Northwestern.

When the Eagles returned to campus following the victory, they were greeted by a swarm of excited supporters. “Coming home to Boston College is incredible because these girls are so passionate about this school,” Walker-Weinstein said. “To bring the trophy back, literally to the Heights, is a special moment.”

The championship capped a spring season of rewarding developments for Walker-Weinstein, who in April was named head coach of the US Women’s National Team, an appointment that runs through the 2026 World Lacrosse Women's Championship in Japan. As a player, Walker-Weinstein was a successful part of the national team, winning one gold medal as the youngest member of the 1999 U19 roster, and another with the 2009 senior team.

In the aftermath of her 51˛čąÝ program’s second championship, Walker-Weinstein reflected on the bittersweet achievement of having made all those title games only to come up just short so many times. “I think the losses along the way were part of this process—and I’m not glorifying losing by any means,” she told the media. “I do think maybe I, our staff, and our players needed to be hardened a bit to be ready for this moment.” She continued, saying, “It is not easy to get to the national championship, it’s not easy to win, almost impossible. Everything has to be aligned. I think somewhere along the way those heartbreaking losses taught us what we needed to fix and to be better and play smarter.” ◽

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