Tillier's third goal of game lifts Terriers with 1.1-seconds remaining

Coutu recorded career-highs with three goals, four assists and seven points to lead the Skyhawks attack (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

EASTON, Mass. (February 28, 2024) – Junior Hannah Tillier's third goal of the game with 1.1-seconds remaining in regulation lifted Boston University to a 16-15 triumph over Stonehill College in a non-conference women's lacrosse battle on Timothy J. Coughlin, '80 Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium this evening.

Tillier's gamewinner capped a BU comeback from a goal down over the final 2:06 after Stonehill senior Molly Mae Hughes pushed the Skyhawks in front for first time since a pair of first quarter leads with her ninth goal of the season with 6:03 to play. The Skyhawks rallied from three goals down on four occasions in the contest, the latter comeback after BU sophomore Leah Hodgins scored her third goal of the game 90-seconds into the fourth quarter for a 14-11 edge.

Sophomore Grace Murphy, who scored four of her career-high five goals in the final 16:44 of the game, followed with three-straight within a three-and-a-half-minute span to pull Stonehill even for the sixth time in the contest after her team-leading 12^th goal of the year with 8:28 remaining. Hughes followed with her lone goal of the contest two and a half minutes after that to give the Skyhawks the fourth quarter lead.

Tillier and Hodgins were joined with three goals for BU by sophomore Elle Stevenson, who also dished out an assist for a team-high four points. Hodgins also contributed six draw controls for the Terriers, while senior Tobey Tick added two goals and two assists. Freshman Natalie Aiosa registered ten saves in the Terriers goal.

Murphy scored four of her career-best five goals in the last 17-minutes of the game, including three-straight to spark a four goal run (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Murphy finished with six points, adding an assist on Hughes' go-ahead goal, along with two ground balls. Sophomore Natalie Coutu totaled a team and career-high seven points with a career-best three goals and four assists, while junior Sofia D'Agostino netted a season-high four goals with four draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Hughes finished with the goal and two assists, while senior Claire Smith posted ten saves in the Skyhawks goal.

How it Happened

• The two teams traded goals over the first nine minutes of the game, with Murphy following up two Coutu goals with her first of the day for a 3-2 Stonehill lead 4:12 into the contest.
• After junior Abby Contraro leveled for BU, D'Agostino scored off a feed from Hughes to push Stonehill back in from with 6:52 remaining in the first quarter.
• Tillier followed with her first goal of the game to equalize for the Terriers just 43-seconds later and then Stevenson set up Tick's first of the game and scored her second of the quarter in the final 2:24 of the opening frame to send BU into the second quarter with a two-goal lead.
• Coutu opened the second quarter scoring to pull Stonehill back within a goal, but BU followed with two-straight to open its first three goal cushion (8-5) after freshman Reilly Walsh's first goal of the game 3:25 into the second.
• The two teams traded goals over the final seven minutes of the first half and then Stonehill reeled off three-straight goals, including a pair from D'Agostino to pull even at ten goals apiece less than five minutes into the third quarter.
• BU answered with a three-goal run of its own on markers from Tillier, Hodgins and Tick to restore its three-goal cushion with 5:21 to play in the third.
• Murphy pulled one of those goals back with 1:44 remaining in the third and then after Hodgins pushed the BU lead back to three goals 90-seconds into the fourth, Murphy's three-goal run over a 3:34 span had Stonehill even again (14-14) with 8:28 to play.
• Hughes' ninth goal of the year off a Murphy feed gave Stonehill the lead against a BU team that had posted a 20-9 win over the Skyhawks in their NCAA Division I debut on Commonwealth Avenue last year.
• Stonehill had four possessions after the go-ahead goal to extend its lead, including a big save from Smith with 4:16 remaining, but BU was able to even the contest with Stevenson's team-leading 17^th goal of the year with 2:06 remaining in regulation.
• Stonehill won the ensuing draw and got a player advantage on a BU card, but Aiosa made two big saves on Skyhawk chances and the Terriers came up with the ball after the second to draw up a play during a timeout with 26-seconds left.
• Tillier prevented overtime with her 13^th goal of the season from the upper right side of the fan with just 1.1-seconds to play.

Noteworthy

• Smith's ten saves is her second double-figure save total of the season (fourth career).
• Stonehill got multiple goals from three players, including career-high totals from Murphy and Coutu, as well as a season-best four from D'Agostino who netted her first four goals of the year.
• Hughes has multiple points in all three games this season and four-straight dating back to her hat trick in Stonehill's win over Central Connecticut State University in its 2023 season finale.
• Murphy has multiple goals in all three games this season after her career-best five today, giving her six multi-goal games for her career.
• Murphy now leads the NEC in goals (12) and points (17), while ranking second in assists (5) behind only Coutu's NEC-high nine.
• Coutu has multiple points and assists in all three games so far for Stonehill after her career-high totals today. She has the first two multi-goal games of her career in the Skyhawks last two contests.

Up Next

Stonehill (1-2, 1-0 NEC) is right back in action on Saturday, when it visits Howard University for a Northeast Conference matchup in Washington, D.C., at noon. The Skyhawks don't return to W.B. Mason Stadium until Wednesday, March 20, to host College of the Holy Cross at 6 p.m. BU (4-0, 0-0 Patriot) visits Boston College next Wednesday at 4 p.m.

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