April 6, 2006

Boston, MA (CSTV U-WIRE) -- When Jenny Hauser netted her 100th career point last month, not even halfway through her second year in the scarlet and white, it was easy to see that a new era of Boston University lacrosse was in full swing -- and that Hauser was leading the way.

And it was also easy to forget that the old era was not quite over.

That wasn't the case Wednesday at Harvard University, however, as the Terriers' old guard struck back in an 11-8 win over the Crimson. Seniors Mary Beth Miller and Lindsay Lewis both netted the 200th points of their careers, boosting a BU offense that was left lacking after Hauser finished the afternoon without a goal.

The performances also put the 15th-ranked Terriers (7-3, 1-1 America East) back on track after an upset loss at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Saturday, using a strong defensive second half to put away the Crimson (3-6, 1-0 Ivy League) and return to winning form.

"Any win's a good win," said BU coach Liza Kelly. "It was definitely back and forth a lot this game. I think the attackers came out really hard, really going to the goal in the first half."

That effort showed, as the Terriers jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on the strength of two quick Miller goals -- the second of which was career point number 200. Miller added two more goals and three assists later in the game to bring her total to 205, while Lewis came into the game at 199 and now stands squarely at 200 after her lone goal. Miller and Lewis now rank third and fourth respectively on the Terriers' all-time scoring list.

But the celebration was short-lived. Harvard quickly struck back with four goals of its own sandwiched around an Angie Martin score for BU, tying the game just past the midpoint of the first half. The Crimson continued to pressure sophomore goalie Jenna Golden, taking their second lead of the game five minutes later.

That lead lasted until just before the half, when quick strikes from sophomore Lauren Morton and Lewis gave the Terriers a one-goal edge heading into halftime -- a lead they would never relinquish.

The second half was a different story, as the offense began sputtering and was unable to put together any sort of consistent attack. After Morton netted her third goal of the match to give BU a two-goal lead five minutes into the half, the Terriers were held scoreless for the next 18 minutes.

Fortunately, that's also when the defense stepped up. And this time it was Golden leading the way, as the goalie gave her job security a big boost by stopping eight shots in the second frame to finish with 12 saves in all.

"She had a terrific second half," Kelly said. "I think it was a combination of she really started playing better in the second half, and the defense started playing well. But Jenna made some big saves, too."

And she may have saved her starting role, too. After being replaced by senior goalie Colleen McClay midway through Saturday's 16-13 loss to UMBC, Golden was not guaranteed to start the game against Harvard. But after her second-half performance, it became clear that she intended to make the most of her second chance.

"It was a really good game to get Jenna back on her feet a little bit," Kelly said. "One bad game doesn't necessarily knock you out for the entire season. I think she's still a very strong goalkeeper as evidenced by her 12 saves today, so I think we just needed to give her another shot."

Golden's resurgence couldn't have come at a better time. For all of BU's offensive struggles, Golden anchored a Terrier defense that ensured the Crimson attack did worse, holding Harvard scoreless over a 38-minute span that included most of the second half. Margaret Yellott finally broke the silence for the Crimson with just 47 seconds left to play in the game, but for Harvard, it was much too little much too late.

Kelly blamed much of the Terriers' offensive struggles on a new system she implemented that allowed for more on the fly substitutions during the game.

"I'm not sure how many shots we took in the second half," Kelly said. "Throughout the game we tried something new ... just trying to fly some subs in and out in transition, so just getting people used to that and timing it right was tough."

The Terriers have now won five of their past six games, and have two more non-conference match-ups left before America East play hits full swing in mid-April. The first of those two games comes this Saturday, as the Terriers host Georgetown University at Nickerson Field.

(C) 2006 The Daily Free Press via CSTV U-WIRE