The proverb that fortune favors the bold seems to hold true in the case of Boston College field hockey. With 24 seconds left in the third quarter, the Eagles were tied 2–2 with cross-town rival Boston University. Graduate student Sarah Johnson traveled along the Terriers’ goal line and made a bid for the opposing team’s net, where a BU defender stopped her.
Johnson immediately motioned toward the official to request a video referral. A player can call for a video referral if she believes the referees missed a penalty. The call is somewhat of a risk—if the officials review the video and deem that there was a missed call, then a penalty to the defending team is awarded accordingly, but if the officials find no evidence of foul play, the attacking team loses its video referral ability for the rest of the game.
Officials determined that the ball hit the foot of the Terrier defender, upholding Johnson’s challenge. BC earned a penalty corner against BU (2–4), and fellow graduate student Fusine Govaert received the ball at the top of the arc. She wound up and blasted a shot past BU goaltender Caroline Kelly to put the No. 3 Eagles (6–0) ahead 3–2 entering the fourth quarter, a scoreline which held through the final whistle.
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BC racked up 10 shots and earned six penalty corners as well. Midway through the frame, BC executed an outstanding tic-tac-toe play to take an early lead. Govaert unleashed a powerful shot on BU’s net, and Elizabeth Warner tipped the blast before Johnson skillfully redirected into the net.
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Moments later, officials awarded BC a corner, and Govaert stepped in to receive the ball. She lasered a seeing-eye shot through the five hole of Kelly to put the Eagles ahead by two.
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The tide began to turn in BU’s favor toward the end of the second quarter, however. Officials awarded the Terriers back-to-back corners, and BU capitalized on its second attempt. Mikayla Crowley tipped a shot past a sprawling Jonna Kennedy, and the Terriers drew within one heading into the second half.
BC’s hold on the stat sheet was vice-like throughout the game. The Eagles amassed 28 shots, compared to the Terriers’ six, and officials awarded BC 15 corners to BU’s three. Kelly, the Terriers’ junior goaltender, was a bright spot for BU.
Against BC’s potent offense, she made a whopping 16 saves, including an incredible diving stick save on Milagros Arteta, the Eagles’ current leader in points.
Despite a number of late-game chances, the Eagles could not extend their lead over the Terriers. Govaert’s timely second goal became the eventual game winner, and BC played a strong defensive game through the fourth quarter to keep BU off the board.
BC is in the midst of a historic start to its season. With the victory over their crosstown rival Terriers, the Eagles are tied for the best start in program history. The BC squad achieved its highest ranking in program history on this week’s Penn Monto/NFHCA Poll. The Eagles are slotted in at No. 3, placing them above any other ACC team, including perennial powerhouse North Carolina.
“It’s awesome to have a start that’s this good,” said Govaert in a postgame interview with ACC Network. “The season is still very long though, so we have to keep it up.”
Featured Image by Maria Ringes / Heights Staff
