Boston College women’s soccer had scored just two goals in its past eight games against ACC opponents entering its road matchup against Clemson on Sunday.
Against the Tigers, BC’s offensive woes continued, as the Eagles (5–8–4, 1–7–1 Atlantic Coast) failed to score and generated few promising chances in a 3–0 loss to Clemson.
Clemson dominated possession in the first half and created a handful of scoring chances in and around the Eagles’ penalty box. Forward Maliah Morris broke the deadlock when she maneuvered behind the Eagles’ back line and snuck a left-footed shot through the legs of BC goaltender Wiebke Willebrandt just over 12 minutes into the game.
The Tigers continued to control the game and doubled their advantage in the 25th minute when forward Sami Meredith slotted home a rebound from just six yards out after a shot by Renee Lyles hit the crossbar. Lyles and her fellow wingers consistently caused problems for BC’s outside backs throughout the half, as their speed and willingness to make vertical runs in behind the back line led to each of the goals.
BC struggled to build out from the back from the start and had a difficult time connecting passes in the midfield as the first half wore on. Senior forward and leading scorer Sam Smith found limited opportunities up front and spent most of the first 45 minutes of play chasing poor clearances that her teammates made.
The Eagles dodged a bullet late in the first half when referees didn’t call a penalty on a rough play. What looked like a clear trip in the box was deemed a clean tackle, and the Eagles went into the halftime break down 2–0 without having to defend a penalty.
The Tigers continued their relentless attack at the start of the second half, and Meredith tapped in her second goal of the game early in the half off a cross that deflected off BC defender Michela Agresti.
Clemson continued to pressure the Eagles after they conceded their third goal, but when freshman forward Sydney Segalla came off the bench, the Eagles experienced an offensive spark.
Segalla nearly capitalized on a breakaway midway into the second half, but her right-footed effort slid just outside the left post. She continued to look dangerous after the missed breakaway, and she forced Clemson goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz to make a tough save just a couple minutes later.
Despite finding some energy late in the second half, BC’s offensive woes continued to haunt the Eagles in the 3–0 loss. They failed to find the back of the net for the seventh time in nine ACC contests and head into their final game of the season sitting at the bottom of the conference standings.
