May. 12th, 2004 - Eagles corral Longhorns by four
Fenton, MO - Boston College, powered by an explosive late third quarter scoring effort, knocked off 16th seeded Texas in consolation play from the A-B Sports Center by a final score of 15 – 11. The midfield units from both teams came out and controlled the tempo of the game the entire 60 minutes of play, scoring 19 of the combined 26 goals.
The game was highlighted by multiple scoring runs from both squads.
Longhorn midfielder Justin Bedard (Round Rock, Texas) started out the scoring with a goal at the 13:25 mark of the 1st quarter when he ripped one 12 feet out of the crease.
Boston College's response – 3 unanswered goals in a 90 second span. The Eagles secured a 3 – 1 lead, but Texas wouldn't roll over in this game.
The Longhorns served up 3 unanswered goals of their own. The Boston College posted two more tallies to retake the lead including a net-ripping (literally) rocket from freshman midfielder Chris Coakley (Denver, Colorado). 5 – 4 Eagles after 15 minutes of play.
Texas middie Simon Telfer (Plano, Texas) scored the first of his eventual 4 goals as he took his defender for a ride on goal-line-extended before spinning around him and taking a no-angle shot just beneath the crossbar.
BC's midfield continued to fire on all cylinders in the 2nd quarter as Dave Dauphinias (Mystic, Connecticut.) added his 2nd goal on the day and Ben Syzek (Cincinnati, Ohio) played like a coach's dream. Syzek played well in both directions, providing stellar midfield defense and igniting the offense. The midfielder closed the quarter with a goal of his own.
At the halftime break, Boston College maintained a 9 – 7 lead.
At the start of the 3rd quarter Texas came out with fire and grit. Though BC's Ben Syzek gave Texas a one minute man-up chance for a slashing penalty, the Longhorns needed only 27 seconds for Justin Bedard to add his 2nd goal of the game. Bedard would finish with 3 goals.
The orange flame of the Texas team was quickly doused. Longhorn when Midfielder Ben Galloway (Austin, Texas) took a penalty for slashing and allowed Eagles middie Mark Hammit (Madison, N.J.) a chance to display his signature move once again for the 4th time of the tournament.
If the fans missed it twice yesterday versus Oregon, Hammit employs a lethal fake pass/rocket shot from the top of the box.
"It's just a little something I've been trying to do all season. I guess it only works in the national tournament", Hammit commented later with a sense of humor.
That trick shot accounted for 2 goals against Oregon in yesterday's opening round game, plus two more against Texas.
BC continued to build momentum and put the game out of reach for Texas with 5 unanswered goals in the third quarter.
Quite the feat considering that 2004 Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League (PCLL) Offensive player of the Year Brian Kinsella (West Chester, Pennsylvania) has been sick with the flu this week. Kinsella completely missed the opening round game against Oregon and was only available for half of the game against Texas.
"It's a true testament to the character of our team. Kinsella's absence left a void but today our guys were able to step it up and win this game," stated BC Head Coach Jin Chung after the game.
BC and Texas started to heat things up in the 4th quarter with hard-hits, some slashing penalties and fast-paced lacrosse before the Eagles finalized the 15 – 11 victory.
Longhorn Simon Telfer scored 2 goals that were exactly identical to one another a mere 23 seconds apart. Telfer took his defender for a little jog around the net before wrapping a shot around the post, just by the BC goaltender.
"We've got to step it up. These are the last games for the 9 seniors of Texas lacrosse. It's all about staying positive and focused on winning," Telfer commented after the game.
Texas will battle Minnesota-Duluth and Boston College will face Simon Fraser to conclude the tournament in Friday morning consolation bracket play.
Texas' Justin Bedard noted the significance of the national tournament. "This tournament is more than just lacrosse, it's the future of lacrosse. We're here to represent that."