Boston College women’s soccer won its first two games of the season by a score of 1–0. As the season comes to a close, BC has fallen into a similar script, this time falling on the wrong side of shutouts. The Eagles played their sixth single-goal game of the season Sunday afternoon, falling to Virginia Tech without ever finding the back of the net.
The Eagles (7–8–1, 1–8–0 Atlantic Coast) came out kicking in the first half, with five shots on goal. Virginia Tech (9–5–2, 4–3–2), meanwhile, recorded just two shots on goal in the first half, and the Hokies’ lone goal of the game came with 20 minutes elapsed in the first half. The Hokies held down the second half, escaping with a 1–0 win at home.
After a quiet start to the game, Virginia Tech forward Allie George broke free on the right side of the field. She kicked the ball out past a sliding BC defender to midfielder Emma Pelkowski, who redirected the pass toward the net. BC goaltender Wiebke Willebrandt lept out to block the shot, but she was too late. Pelkowski ran into her teammates’ embrace after having decided the game’s fate with a single shot.
Although it failed to tally any points, BC was the better team through the first half. The first-half stat sheet was unbalanced in BC’s favor, with the Eagles applying far stronger pressure than their opponents. When the two teams took the field after halftime, however, Virginia Tech flipped the script.
The Hokies managed six shots on goal in the second half, three times more than their first half total. BC, on the other hand, had almost no chance of scoring the tying goal. Almost halfway into the second half, Ella Richards took BC’s only shot on the Virginia Tech goal of the half. Hokie goaltender Alia Skinner was ready and came up with the save, killing BC’s final chance at leveling the score.
The Eagles were also plagued by fouls in the second half, committing nine violations after just three in the first.
Despite BC’s offensive breakdown in the latter part of the game, Willebrandt kept it close. She saved seven shots throughout the game while allowing just one to find the net. In her freshman season this year, Willebrandt has allowed an average of just 1.73 goals per game. She has saved a total of 82 shots in 17 games, providing a reliable backstop for the Eagles.
With a freshman shoring up BC’s end on defense, the Eagles looked to their experienced players for offense on Sunday. Jenna Bike, Samantha Agresti, Richards, and Abby McNamara each took two shots on the afternoon, while three other Eagles tried to get in on the scoring with shots of their own.
With eight goals on the season, Richards is currently tied as BC’s leading scorer. Bike is close behind with four goals of her own in a tie for the second most on the team.
Featured Image by Maria Ringes / For the Heights
