Boston College Put on Another Transfer Class Masterclass

CARY, N.C. — Rachel Clark sat at her home in Devon, Penn., on May 28, 2023, watching as Northwestern dominated Boston College in the NCAA championship game.

About two-and-a-half hours Northwest, Emma LoPinto was posted up on her couch in Manhasset, N.Y., eyes fixed on a battle between Division I women’s lacrosse heavyweights.

Both Clark and LoPinto, then stars at Virginia and Florida, respectively, couldn’t help but picture themselves in that moment. On that same day, they yearned for a chance to hoist the NCAA championship trophy.

“‘I want to do that,’” LoPinto told herself as she watched the ESPN broadcast. “‘I want to win a national championship. I want to be on a team that makes runs like those.’”

“There hasn’t been a single year where I don’t watch the national championship game, and there hasn’t been a single year where I wasn’t envious of every single person playing in it,” Clark said. “I was tired of watching it.”

Just a few weeks after the 2023 ended, Clark and LoPinto were on the phone with Boston College head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. She shared with them her vision of winning a national title just like the Eagles did in 2021 with Tewaaraton Award winner Charlotte North — perhaps the most impactful transfer in women’s lacrosse history.

Clark and LoPinto, along with Becky Browndorf (Florida) and Julia Greene (Stanford), comprised a star-studded class of transfers that made the decision to join a program that makes annual trips to Division I women’s lacrosse’s highest stage.

It took just a few weeks for Clark and LoPinto to become acclimated to their new team, one that had its sights set on winning it all and the weapons to finish the job. By May 26, 2024, Clark and LoPinto were national champions.

The vision from their couches just one year ago became a reality.

“We wanted to win a national championship. It’s why we came here,” Clark said after the 14-13 win over Northwestern. “I’m not surprised because I’ve seen the work that has gone into this, but it’s what we dream of and why we play. When the game ended, I just dropped to my knees and couldn’t believe we did it.”

“All of those girls — Julia Greene, Becky, Rachel and Emma — they’re unselfish, which I think is the common denominator with all BC lacrosse players,” Walker said. “They just came in, were on board for whatever. Those girls were thirsty to learn and thirsty to win. They did a great job figuring out what Boston College lacrosse is all about.”

That quartet of transfers got a crash course in the Eagles’ culture as soon as they stepped foot on campus in the fall.

LoPinto brought 187 points of production from her time at Florida, where she was the fastest player in program history to reach the 100-point mark. She was a second-team All-American in 2023, a season that ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Clark decided to transfer to Boston College after dropping 151 points in two seasons with Virginia. She was the leader of the Cavaliers offense, but her season ended abruptly in an upset loss to Albany in the first round of the NCAA tournament. After Julie Myers departed the program, the opportunity to transfer became a reality for Clark.

Within a few days, the Boston College transfer class embraced a new culture and the expectations that came with advancing to the NCAA final in six consecutive seasons. The veterans on the Eagles welcomed them with open arms. They knew making room for talent could help them win in May. Kayla Martello lined up alongside both offensive threats on the first line and instilled in them the image of a Boston College lacrosse player.

“I was surprised how easy it was, and that’s on the coaching staff and the group of veteran girls,” Clark said. “Everyone has such a competitive edge that if they see someone who’s going to produce, they’ll welcome you and do whatever they can to support you. I was getting better since the fall and I felt a camaraderie right away with me and Emma and Kayla.”

Walker said she’s proud of the way her veterans welcomed transfers both this year and in the past.

“They’re OK with it because they’re not threatened by it,” she said. “They know, ‘If these girls are going to help us win, so be it. Get on board, open arms.’ They’ll do anything to win.”

As the fall turned into spring, Clark and LoPinto got a chance to show off the chemistry they had built in a short period of time. Clark got off to a hot start, scoring at least four goals in seven of her first nine games, while LoPinto played a dual role until her breakout nine-point game in a win over North Carolina on March 30.

All the while, the two transfers made sure they were growing together as they made a push for an ACC title.

“Coming into the ACC is hard,” LoPinto said. “You’re playing the best of the best teams every single weekend. Our culture is so strong, and we leaned into each other and BC lacrosse and our love for one another. All season, in the games leading up to today, we’ve looked at each other and said, ‘This is why we chose to come here.’ We have full faith in each other, and I love playing with each other.”

The calendar hit May, and Boston College found its momentum, getting past Princeton and Michigan en route to the final four. It was both Clark and LoPinto’s first time playing on Memorial Day weekend.

As they took the field at WakeMed Soccer Park, each knew they’d never experienced lacrosse at that level. The dreams they shared were now within reach.

“This whole weekend, I was doing my best to soak this all in,” Clark said. “How loud it is on the sideline, there’s not a moment where you’re not thinking, ‘This is why I play Boston College lacrosse.’ The competition, the energy level, how bad everyone wants it. This is the biggest stage I’ve ever played on.”

After taking down Syracuse in the semifinals, Boston College booked its seventh straight trip to the NCAA title game. Against Northwestern, the Boston College offense started slow, leading to a 6-0 first-quarter deficit. The Eagles found their rhythm in the second quarter and poured it on in the second half en route to a 14-13 victory.

The goal that broke the dry spell?

A LoPinto behind-the-back goal off a feed from Clark. They joined Boston College for moments like the one they produced to help the Eagles come back.