In the second round of its first tournament appearance in two years, Boston College men’s soccer fell to No. 6 Washington, 2-0. Unlike in their first round game against Yale, the Eagles came to a complete offensive halt. BC tallied a mere five shots, only three of which were on target.
Tremendous goalkeeping from Christian Garner kept BC (9-6-3, 2-4-1 Atlantic Coast) in the game, but ultimately, the Eagles just couldn’t overcome 24 shots on net from the Huskies.
Washington (16-3, 8-2 Pacific-12) dominated possession in the first half. As a result, the Huskies registered their two goals very early on. In the 25th minute, Blake Bodily gave Washington a 1-0 lead with a masterful finish in the box. Only six minutes later, after continuously driving the ball near BC’s net, Jaret Townsend’s strike, assisted by the head of Bodily, pushed Washington’s lead to 2-0.
While the Huskies outshot BC by eight goals in the half, Washington also recorded a resounding 11 dangerous corner kicks.
Even so, BC would not relent. In the 43rd minute of the first half, the Eagles had an amazing opportunity to score off Michael Suski’s powerful strike from just outside of the box, but Washington’s keeper Sam Fowler dove in front just in time.
In the second half, Washington carried much of the same dominant momentum. The Huskies once again ruled possession near BC’s goal, and they outshot BC 14 to 3.
If not for the Garner’s strong play in the net, the Eagles could have been trailing by far more than just two scores. Garner single-handedly tamed the second-half Husky surge with five brilliant saves.
Garner kept BC in play, so its offense still had a chance to equalize the game. Midway through the half, off a set piece, Kristofer Konradsson took a shot from 30 yards out. The Washington keeper made a fantastic save to keep BC off the board once again. In the few chances BC had to score, it was simply unable to capitalize.
Although BC fought hard throughout, the Huskies thoroughly outplayed the Eagles. Washington dominated every facet of the game, including shots on net, corner kick opportunities, and defensive play. This was the first time an opponent held the Eagles’ prolific offense scoreless since Oct. 1.
With this loss, the Eagles fall to 9-6-3 on the season. While the record only appears as slightly above average, this season is a massive step forward for BC men’s soccer. In the previous two seasons, along with not making the tournament either year, the Eagles failed to get their record above .500. In 2019, however, the team made significant progress by finishing three games over that mark.
Aside from just the successful record and upset tournament win over 25th-ranked Yale, BC will also return key freshman superstars next year. Amos Shapiro-Thompson, Stefan Sigurdarson, and Suski, all freshmen, led the team in scoring this year. Star freshman defensemen Victor Souza will also be back. He was one of only two players who played every minute of every game this season for the Eagles. Ultimately, BC’s star infusion of youth will serve them incredibly well in future years. Losing to a top-ranked Washington team is nothing to be ashamed of.
Featured Image by Jess Rivilis / Heights Staff
