Lacrosse Set to Duel No. 4 Boston College in Second Round of NCAA Championships

Sunday, May 16

Newton, Mass.

1:00 P.M.

Temple University

#4/#4 Boston College

Photo by: John Quackenbos

Lacrosse Set to Duel No. 4 Boston College in Second Round of NCAA Championships

5.15.21 | Women's Lacrosse

Live Stats Watch Notes (PDF)

NEWTON, Mass. – The Temple women's lacrosse team (13-5, 7-3 AAC) is set to square off against No. 4/4 Boston College (14-3, 8-2 ACC) in its first NCAA tournament second-round game since 1998. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 16 at Newton Campus Lacrosse & Soccer Field on the campus of Boston College. The game will stream on ESPN3.

THE SEASON SO FAR
> Temple is having one of its best seasons in recent history. The Owls began the campaign with wins over Delaware and Villanova, both by huge margins.
> After a loss to a Drexel team that spent nearly the entire season ranked in the top 25, Temple picked up key wins against No. 11/12 Towson and Atlantic10 runner-up Saint Joseph's.
> At this point in the season, the Owls were ranked in both the IWCLA coaches' poll (25) and the Inside Lacrosse Media poll (20). It was the first time Temple received poll recognition since 2016. Temple stayed in the IWCLA poll for two weeks. They have received votes in the Inside Lacrosse poll for the remainder of the season.
> The Owls began the AAC schedule with a pair of tough losses to eventual AAC champion Florida. Temple rebounded with two road wins over Old Dominion, including an 18-8 blowout.
> The team then traveled to Cincinnati where it swept the Bearcats in two thrillers. Temple kept the good times rolling with two dominant wins over East Carolina that moved them into second place in the American.
> The Owls ended their regular season with a key road series at Vanderbilt. Temple split the series to put them at 7-3 on the year in league play and set them up for a rematch with Commodores in the AAC semifinals.
> Temple steamrolled Vanderbilt in the AAC tournament before falling to No. 8 Florida in the title game. The wins against Vanderbilt were the final touches in punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament.

SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Midfielder Belle Mastropietro has been a force on offense all year long. She second on the team in goals with 41 and fourth in assists with 12. The sophomore has been on fire recently. She has led Temple in goals in all three postseason games. Mastropietro was voted First-Team All-AAC.
> Attacker Meghan Hoffman set a new single-season assist record against Vanderbilt with a game to spare in the regular season. Hoffman was named First-Team All-AAC. She currently sits at 43 assists on the year, good for seventh nationally. Her 82 career assists are seven shy of the program record of 89.
> Midfielder Bridget Whitaker set the single-season record in draw controls (79) in the AAC semifinals. The senior has been a two-way superstar season. She leads Temple in goals with 43, is second in ground balls (34), and is third in caused turnovers (25). She was named a unanimous First-Team All-AAC selection.
> Defender Courtney Taylor had one the best seasons in recent Temple lacrosse history and is one of the elite defenders in women's lacrosse. She is tied for the national lead in total ground ball pickups (66) and ranks second in caused turnovers (42). She leads the American in both categories. The senior has led the country in defensive EGA (a statistical formula that attempts to rate the value a player brings to the field) with 15.40 for the majority of the year. Taylor was also named a unanimous First-Team All-AAC selection.

LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE 14, UMASS 13 (NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND)
> Temple defeated the UMass Minutewomen by a score of 14-13 for its first NCAA tournament win in 23 years.
> The Owls controlled the first half and after a 5-0 run, Temple took a 9-4 lead into halftime.
> UMass put together a solid comeback effort, but the Temple defense stood strong, only allowing one goal in the final 11 minutes.
> Mastropietro starred for Temple. The midfielder scored a game-high five goals including the game-winner and passed for one assist.

SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE
> Boston College went 14-3 (8-2 ACC) to finish second in the league standings. The Eagles' only losses this season have come against then-No. 1/1 North Carolina and No. 3/3 Syracuse .
> Boston College's calling card this season has been its offense. The Eagles rank first in the NCAA in shot percentage (.527), fifth in scoring percentage (16.65), and seventh in points per game (23.65). They are also strong on the draw, checking in at fifth in draw control percentage (60.9%).
> The Eagles are led by attacker Charlotte North. North is second in the nation in goals with 78. North is also elite on the draw. She has controlled 151 draws this season, ranking third nationally. She is a finalist for the Tewaaraton award which recognizes the best player in lacrosse.
> Boston College is coached by Acacia Walker-Weinstein. Weinstein has built the Eagles into a powerhouse since being brought on in 2012. She has amassed a 131-44 record during her tenure, and in the last four seasons Boston College has only lost ten games.

SERIES HISTORY
> Temple and Boston College are meeting for the 8th time in series history. Temple has never lost to the Eagles, holding a perfect 7-0 record.
> This is the first meeting between the teams since 1998. The Owls won that matchup by a score of 17-3.
> The two sides have never met in postseason play.

TEMPLE AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
> Temple has an illustrious history in the NCAA tournament. This is the Owls 17^th tournament appearance. They ranked 11^th all-time in tournament appearances.
> The Owls have not won two NCAA tournament games in the same postseason since 1988 when they won the National Championship.
> Temple has advanced to ten Final Fours, have been National runners-up four times, and won the National Championship twice (1984, 1988). They also won the AIAW national title in 1982.
> Temple was led by legendary coach Tina Sloan-Green from 1975-1992. During her time on North Broad, Green amassed eight straight Final Four appearances. She is tied for eighth all-time in tournament winning percentage (.611) with a record of 11-7. Her six semifinal appearances rank sixth all-time.