After nearly 85 minutes of weather delay and 67 minutes of gameplay, graduate forward Margo Carlin gave Boston College field hockey its first overtime victory of the season, ripping home a tight-window shot in the extra frame.
The 3–2 victory over Wake Forest (6–8, 0–5 Atlantic Coast) marked the Eagles’ fourth victory in a row, and a very important win against a sturdy conference opponent. Carlin’s 12th goal of the season pushed her ahead by four goals in BC’s individual, goal-scoring standings. BC (11–5, 2–3) recorded 10 shots in the contest to the Demon Deacons’ seven.
The game proved to be a hard-fought victory for the Eagles, who went back and forth with Wake Forest on a night that saw little offense and sloppy play from both sides in wet conditions. The Eagles were efficient enough on offense to start the game, which got delayed just under an hour and a half after the initial start time.
The delay seemed to throw off the rhythm of both squads as the team chemistry was very sloppy early on. But BC remained solid in the backline and firmly held up Wake Forest’s offense, limiting it to just three first-half shots. Goalie Caroline Kelly played with aggression in net for the Eagles, stopping five shots and bailing the defense out when needed.
The first quarter saw BC and Wake Forest trying to establish respective games and struggling to sustain offensive pressure. Neither team could swing any momentum and were struggling to get shots on net and control the ball. The Eagles produced two shots that were blocked and just one shot on goal in the first quarter. BC also registered one penalty corner but wasn’t able to capitalize on it.
Kelly rose up to make a save 12 seconds into the second quarter, and was tested again after a penalty corner from Wake Forest resulted in two shots from Mia Scheonbeck. BC started to press with under three minutes to go in the half, and with a minute and five seconds left, the Eagles broke the ice after a goal from Kara Heck. The senior capitalized on a scramble in front of Wake Forest’s net and gave the Eagles a much-deserved lead heading into halftime.
This lead, however, vanished 37 seconds into the third quarter after Lee Ann Gordon tallied Wake Forest’s first goal. The Demon Deacons came out of the half buzzing and controlled much of the possession for the first few minutes of the quarter. Kelly stepped up to make two great saves after two Wake Forest shots hit the net four minutes into the half, however.
A penalty corner from Carlin in the eighth minute of the frame swung the momentum back in favor of the Eagles. After Peyton Hale hit the post on a shot from 10 yards out, freshman Madelieve Drion buried the rebound to give the Eagles the lead nine minutes into the third to establish a 2–1 lead for BC.
Just like in the third quarter, the Demon Deacons didn’t waste time answering back. Just over four minutes into the final frame, Wake Forest’s Brooke McCusker potted a shot in the back of the net to tie the game at two apiece. The fourth quarter turned out to be a microcosm of the game, though, as BC looked dominant for just a few minutes before going into pedestrian mode for the next few minutes.
Nobody broke the 2–2 tie during regulation despite multiple chances from both teams including a BC penalty corner with under three minutes left in the game and a Hale shot. This hard-fought matchup needed extra time to decide the winner.
Going into the game, the Eagles were winless in overtime on the season but were able to avoid another heartbreak after Carlin dinked in a goal in the seventh minute of the extra period. Carlin whipped a shot from just beyond the dot past Wake Forest goalie Ellie Todd and sealed the win for the Eagles.
Scoring chances didn’t come easy for either team, but BC took advantage of its scoring opportunities and showcased lock-down defense when it needed to.
