Junior Emily McCoy hammered home a game-winning shot in double overtime to lift the Boston College women’s field hockey team (6-4, 0-2) to a 3-2 victory on the road against No. 15 Liberty (6-3, 0-0) on Sunday afternoon.
McCoy broke the deadlock in the 89th minute when BC freshman Frederique Haverhals crossed the ball to the top of the box following a penalty corner. The two-hour, 2OT saga finally came to a close after McCoy sent her team-high sixth goal past the Flames’ keeper to the left post.
The match began in Liberty’s favor, with Flames’ leading scorer Natalie Barr driving a shot past BC goalkeeper Leah Settipane in the seventh minute to give Liberty an early 1-0 advantage. Settipane would follow up her recent 13-save performance against No. 3 North Carolina with another impressive 5-save showing.
Sophomore Chelcie Mendonca shifted the momentum with her first career goal in the 20th minute, tying the game at one apiece before halftime. After the break, Emily McCoy scored her first of two goals to quiet the Liberty crowd and seize a 2-1 lead. The Eagles’ third win against a ranked opponent appeared well within reach if their defense could hold strong for the remaining time.
But an inspired Liberty squad responded after a timeout with an equalizer in the 51st minute. Once again, Flame forward Natalie Barr was involved on the play, setting up Hannah Jones for her second goal of the season, a strike that would end up sending the game into overtime.
Despite managing less shots and corners than BC in the first overtime period, Liberty was able to hold off the Eagles thanks to three saves by the Flames’ keeper. But as the second overtime dragged on, a worn-down Liberty lineup conceded five shots on goal—the last, of course, proving to be the difference in the game.
McCoy’s clutch blast was her second game-winning goal of the season, and increased her point total to a team-best 16. McCoy and No. 11 BC will look to reenter the top-10 rankings for the second time this year.
The win brings the Eagles to 3-0 on the season in overtime games, and reinforces the claim that Head Coach Kelly Doton’s team knows how to close out tight matches. Sunday’s double overtime thriller was the first meeting between the two programs, and—if the hard-fought battle is any indication of future matchups—it hopefully won’t be their last.
Featured Image by Drew Hoo / Heights Editor
