Stats don’t always tell the whole story. Boston College women’s soccer led by one at the half of Saturday’s matchup with NC State despite being out-shot, out-possessed, and out-played. In the second half, the Eagles played arguably a cleaner game, yet they conceded three goals and scored none.
The drastic difference from half to half led to a 3-1 loss for the Eagles (3-10-1, 1-7-0 Atlantic Coast). Prior to the matchup, the Eagles were 13-4 all time against the Wolfpack (5-3-1), which did not play in the fall half of the season.
BC’s only goal came early in the game, when captain Jenna Bike headed one home off the service of sophomore midfielder Sam Smith. Smith leads the Eagles in scoring with 13 points on five goals and three assists.
Bike’s goal was one of the two first-half shots on goal from the Eagles. NC State had six shots on net in the first 45 minutes, all of which BC sophomore goalie Allie Augur handled with relative ease.
In the second half, there were plenty of chances from both sides. NC State found the equalizer it had been looking for in the 54th minute. A loose ball bounced out to forward Toni Starova, who struck one into the lower right-hand corner from 25 yards out.
The goal came off a sequence of consecutive BC turnovers in the Eagles’ end due to a high-pressing NC State front line.
For the next 20 minutes, the two sides went back and forth. BC’s backline seemed to slow things down, and the Eagles built up some dangerous counterattacks. In the 73rd minute, however, a slip up from Augur in net found BC trailing 2-1 with 17 minutes to go.
The second NC State goal sent the Eagles into overdrive on offense, but the constant high pressure wasn’t enough. BC’s best chance to tie things up came with five minutes to go, on a one-on-one attack from Bike which easily could have resulted in the referee pointing to the penalty spot.
Instead of a foul, BC received a corner kick. Off the kick, two Eagles powered the ball into the net, taking NC State’s goaltender down with them. Though the Eagles thought they had tied it, officials called the goal back on a foul.
Two minutes later, Starova converted on a 2-on-1 for her second tally of the game, and NC State expanded its lead to 3-1. The score remained 3-1 in favor of the Wolfpack when the final whistle blew three minutes later.
NC State outshot the Eagles 14-7, including a 9-4 edge in shots on goal. The teams also combined for nine total fouls, four against the Wolfpack and five against BC. With the loss, BC concluded its unusual year, as the season was split between the fall and the spring.
Featured Image by Molly Bruns / Heights Staff
