It looked like the game was over in the 35th minute.
Boston College women’s soccer was down 2-0 to Princeton in an ACC Tournament game. Tigers freshman Mimi Asom, the unanimously voted Ivy League Rookie of the Year, had scored both goals. Princeton fans were excited, and the momentum was entirely against the Eagles.
McKenzie Meehan didn’t think the game was over. The all-time goal scoring leader for the Eagles put her 17th goal of the season away two minutes later. Her first shot rocketed into the face of a Princeton defender, but Meehan gathered in the rebound and sent the ball into the lower right hand corner of the net to cut the Tigers’ lead in half. Just like that, the momentum was there for BC. Trailing 2-1 on the road, the Eagles looked to net an equalizer and bring a competitive edge back to the game.
Then Princeton junior Tyler Lussi buried a shot in the 42nd minute of the game, cushioning the Tigers’ lead. The unanimous Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year scored her 14th goal of the season and swung the momentum back in the Tigers’ favor. Halftime saw a 3-1 Tigers lead.
BC goalkeeper Alexis Bryant allowed three goals in the first half. She also had five saves, including several which kept the Eagles in the game. Early on, when the game was scoreless, Bryant survived an attack from Asom and her teammates, finally ending the onslaught of shots with a diving save. However, head coach Alison Foley still elected to replace Bryant with redshirt senior Alexandra Johnson for the second half.
Lussi scored her second goal of the game and 15th of the season off a header in the 50th minute. The Tigers’ fourth goal of the game marked the end of Princeton’s scoring and the end of the Eagles’ chances for victory, although BC would score again later.
Momentum stayed on the Tiger’s side for the remainder of the match as they retained possession and controlled play for a majority of the second half. The Eagles never gave up and continued to take shots whenever they could. In the 80th minute senior Jillian Lutz fired off a shot from 30 yards out, forcing Princeton goalkeeper Hannah Winner to save the goal by pushing the ball over the crossbar. In the 89th minute, Winner dove to deflect a BC shot, but could not save it cleanly. McKenzie Meehan scored her second goal of the game after poking the rebound into the back of the net, cutting Princeton’s lead to two goals with just one minute remaining in the game.
Princeton’s 4-2 victory came as a result of skilled offensive play from their two best offensive players. Asom’s two goals set up the lead, and Lussi’s two goals cushioned it and ensured victory for the Tigers. Asom has proved to be a major threat in her freshman campaign for the Tigers. Lussi has won the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year award for the past two years, and has the chance for a historic three-peat next year if she continues her dominating play. The Eagles, one year after not making the ACC Tournament for the first time in Foley’s career as coach, went one and done in this year’s tournament after failing to neutralize the twin threats of Asom and Lussi.
Featured Image by Jake Evans / Heights Staff
