In its last three games, Boston College field hockey has played ranked opponents close, outshooting and drawing more penalty corner opportunities than the last three teams it’s faced. Even so, the Eagles have been unable to capitalize, losing all three games by one goal.
On Sunday, the story offensively was the same. BC outshot Boston University, 10-5, and had six corner opportunities to the Terriers’ three, but still only managed one goal. This time, however, the defense stepped up, keeping BU off the board to preserve a 1-0 win on Senior Day—the Eagles’ first shutout since September.
The game started quietly, with both sides attempting to grab a foothold. BC (10-8, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) had the first chance of the game 11 minutes in, when Elizabeth Warner fired a shot on goal that Terriers (10-7, 6-0 Patriot League) netminder Elizabeth Warner was able to push away. The rebound fell to Elizabeth Dennehy, but she wasn’t able to beat Kathleen Keegan, whose second save kept the game scoreless.
The Eagles continued to press, and Eva Van de Mierop was the next BC player to find a shooting opportunity, but she saw her shot blocked by a determined BU defender. Warner also created space to shoot, yet couldn’t hit the target, slapping the ball wide.
The Terriers didn’t record a shot until the 33rd minute, when they won two penalty corners in quick succession. The first one was cleared by the BC defense, but on the second, Ally Hammel put a shot on target, forcing Jonna Kennedy into her first save of the game. Seconds later, Hammel landed another shooting opportunity—this time, she failed to test Kennedy, pushing the ball wide. BC had one final corner with no time remaining in the half, but Ymke Rose Gote—one of seven seniors being honored for Senior Day—couldn’t mark the occasion with a goal, as her shot was controlled by Keegan.
None of the Eagles seniors came up with the decisive moment in their final home game. That was reserved for freshman van de Mierop. Five minutes into the second half, BC won a penalty corner, and Haverhals inserted the ball into the circle. Rose Gote stopped it for van de Mierop, and the freshman made no mistake, firing an arrow into the corner past Keegan for her first collegiate goal.
BU looked for an immediate response and nearly found it just minutes later, as Kiley Gallagher and Jordyn Beesmer both had shots stopped by BC defenders. Then, with just seven minutes remaining, an effort off a penalty corner from the Terriers’ Petra Hall was saved by a scrambling Kennedy to preserve the lead.
Meanwhile, the Eagles had several chances of their own to increase their one-goal advantage, but couldn’t provide any sort of insurance. Haverhals had a shot saved by Keegan, and soon after, Cassidy Atchison’s attempt was deflected out of danger. Fusine Govaert had one final chance to put the finishing touches on a win, but Keegan came up with another stop in the waning seconds to keep the scoreline close.
With the victory, the Eagles closed the regular season on a high note and sent their group of seven seniors—Brooke Matherson, Dennehy, Carly Kauffman, Alyssa Olenick, Rose Gote, Lucy Lytle, and Haverhals—out the right way. The senior class compiled a record of 44-35 during its time on the Heights and helped BC to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. The group has a chance to send the Eagles back there again, but despite the win, it’s clear they still have some offensive issues to work out if they hope to make a postseason push.
Featured Image by Jonathan Ye / For The Heights
