Sam Rubin via Yale Athletics

The Yale Bulldogs (16–4, 5–2 Ivy) fell to the No. 2 seed Boston College Eagles (19–2, 8–1 ACC) 11–18 after a hard fought battle in the NCAA quarterfinal. 

“It’s a really hard ending to a great season by a remarkable senior class.” Head Coach Erica Bamford said in her post-game interview. “Seniors, you have brought this program to new heights, you have set the standard for what it means to be a women’s lacrosse player. Through the wins and the losses, this group keeps fighting and I am just really proud of who they show up as everyday despite the outcome of this last game.” 

The Bulldogs were coming off of a thrilling one goal win against Syracuse in the second round of the tournament, but the Eagles got the best of them. Boston College came into this tournament as the defending national champions and as a team that has been to the NCAA semifinals eight years in a row. 

Thursday’s game was the Bulldogs’ third time in program history playing in an NCAA quarterfinal match, and while they brought heart, the Eagles’ experience showed on the pitch. 

The game started out strong for the Bulldogs, as they went on a three goal scoring streak and concluded the first quarter tied 4–4 with the Eagles. Fallon Vaughn ’25 earned a hat trick within the first 11 minutes of the game.

The second quarter also started off strong, as Yale’s defense made several big stops against Boston College’s dangerous offensive unit. However, the Bulldogs began to lose their momentum as the Eagles picked up four goals in a row to close out the half 9–6. 

In the first half, Jenna Collignon ’25 was dominant on the draw control, self-drawing the ball and creating several offensive possessions for the Bulldogs. However in the second half, Boston College changed up their strategy and was able to collect more possessions. The third quarter ended with the Eagles scoring six goals to Yale’s two, putting the score at 15–8. 

Going into the fourth quarter at a significant deficit, the Bulldogs were determined to leave it all on the field. Caroline Burt ’25, Collignon and Lane each scored a goal, but Boston College scored three of their own and ended the game up 18 to Yale’s 11.  

The differentiating factor between these two teams today was Boston College’s sharp shooting ability. The Eagles made almost every single shot they took, scoring 18 of the 21 shots on goal. On the other hand, Yale only put away 11 of its 23 shots taken. Shea Dulce, Boston College’s goaltender, has a 56 percent save percentage and was named a finalist for college lacrosse’s highest accolade — the Tewaaraton Award — as a sophomore. 

“The score didn’t necessarily reflect how close of a competitive game this was,” Lane shared in her post-game interview. “Everyone is leaving with their head held high because of how we fought, and for our senior class how much we have accomplished in our tenure at Yale.” 

Yale did in fact create more scoring opportunities for themselves than their opponent, taking 23 to the Eagles 21 shots, demonstrating the fight and stamina the Bulldogs brought to the field. 

While this game ended the Bulldogs’ run, this team had a fantastic season, having won the Ivy League Championship. 

This is the second year in a row that Yale women’s lacrosse has lost in the NCAA quarterfinals.