Still Perfect: Boston College Club Caps Second Straight Flawless Season with Title

VIRGINIA BEACH — Boston College Club is happy to report that perfection is just as sweet the second time around.

Coming off last year’s WCLA Division I national championship, the Eagles began the 2023 season ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll. It’s a spot they maintained all year, going wire-to-wire to capture their second straight national championship, capped by an 11-5 win over No. 2 Georgia in Friday’s title game in Virginia Beach.

BC becomes the first WCLA team to win back-to-back Division I titles since Colorado State in 2010-11 and finishes the season with an unblemished 18-0 record. The Eagles also extended their two-year winning streak to 34 games.

BACK-TO-BACK FOR BOSTON COLLEGE CLUB.

BC tops Georgia to win the WCLA Division I Championship. pic.twitter.com/nbBusrV7ao

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 12, 2023

“We worked all year for this, and to not lose one game in two years is amazing,” said BC goalie Finley Collins, who made five saves.

After leading 3-1 in the first quarter and 4-3 at halftime, BC saw Georgia tie the score at 5 on Savannah Sabol’s free-position goal with 2:24 left in the third quarter. It was Sabol’s fourth goal of the contest, but it would also be Georgia’s last.

Goals by Katie Duttenhofer and Julia Szynal just 18 seconds apart in the final minute of the third quarter put the Eagles back in front entering the final period. Three insurance goals by sophomore attacker Meghan Chase in the fourth quarter sealed the victory.

Senior Annie Toomey helped anchor a defense that blanked Georgia over the final 17 minutes and held the Bulldogs to their lowest point total of the season.

“We’re there to stop the shots, and when we don’t, Finley is there to save us every time,” said Toomey, who was named as the tournament’s most outstanding defender. “It’s an incredible team effort.”

Collins was also quick to share the defensive credit.

“Our defense is just one cohesive unit,” said Collins, who has yet to lose a game at the college level.

Having All-Americans leading the offense also doesn’t hurt. Szynal was named the tournament’s outstanding midfielder and finished with a team-high four goals and two assists. Duttenhofer was the most outstanding attacker after scoring a combined seven goals in the semifinal and championship wins.

Friday’s game was the first time that the national championship game featured a rematch between the same teams from the previous year. It’s also the first time the tournament has produced back-to-back undefeated champions.

Georgia’s last loss prior to Friday was on February 18, also against Boston College. The Bulldogs finish with a 20-3 record.

“We know they are a great team with great shooters,” Toomey said, “but we were just locked in today. We brought great energy all day and just played our game.”

Other Games
3rd Place: Michigan 16, Pittsburgh 12
5th Place: San Diego State 11, Virginia 5
7th Place: UCLA 11, BYU 7
9th Place: Florda State 13, Texas 9
11th Place: Florida 12, Michigan State 10
13th Place: Arizona State 16, Northeastern 12
15th Place: Utah 18, Washington 13