As he drove toward the box and beat his defender, Boston College men’s soccer midfielder Camilo Ponce seemed like the clear choice to score the first goal of the night. That is, until he suddenly crossed the ball to freshman Ted Cargill, flying in from the left wing, who easily laid it in the back of the net.
Cargill’s first career goal was critical for BC (3–4–3, 1–3–1 Atlantic Coast), which earned its first win in seven games on Friday with a 2–0 win over NC State (4–5–1, 1–4–0).
BC was in control from the start of the game. After a BC shot hit the crossbar one minute into the match, the Eagles’ confidence grew, and they picked up the pace of the game.
While BC played quickly, it pulled back and slowed things down when needed.
“We started the game really fast—hit the crossbar—so that gave us energy right away,” BC head coach Bob Thompson said. “I think that was the best thing about tonight.
The Eagles’ defense seemed to rebound from BC’s previous two losses and played aggressively, cutting off shots and keeping the ball away from the box.
The Eagles spent more time on offense and pressured NC State’s defense more than the Wolfpack pressured them. The Eagles’ persistence gave BC four corners, which were effective in wearing down the Wolfpack’s defense even more.
When Cargill found the back of the net 27 minutes into play, the Eagles became even more energized.
“We have been working a lot just on building the attacking chemistry,” Thompson said. “But to some degree, it either clicks or it doesn’t, and tonight, it just seemed to click.”
BC’s goal seemed to wake the Wolfpack up, and NC State began to match BC’s intensity and hunger.
As both teams stepped onto the field for the second half, their intensity remained, and
the game became more balanced.
With both teams fighting for control, the pace of the game turned frantic. Balls were fired toward both nets in the hope that someone would outrun the defense and secure an open shot.
This frantic play favored the Eagles when the ball slipped through NC State’s defense. Goalkeeper Lucas Hatsios was left to defend the net by himself, as Cargill looked to score his second goal. Rather than sit back and wait for the shot, Hatsios ran to meet the ball, slamming into Cargill and earning a yellow card in the process.
Though Cargill didn’t capitalize on the resulting penalty kick, the shot granted the Eagles their only corner of the half. BC senior Stefan Sigurdarson made contact with the ball and brought the score up to 2–0 with under seven minutes remaining in the game.
