Boston College men’s soccer wasted almost no time getting on the board against Providence on Monday night.
Xavier O’Neil fired a shot from the edge of the box that bounced off the left post and landed at the feet of Marco Dos Santos, who put the Eagles on top just 12 minutes into the match. BC (0–2) maintained its lead through the following 33 minutes to end the half with a 1–0 lead over the Friars (1–1).
The Eagles continued to build their identity as a first-half team, however, as they were silenced in the second half and allowed an equalizer in the 64th minute. Through two games this season, BC has outscored their opponents 3–0 in the first half while being outscored by the same margin in the second half.
Providence started the game looking like the better team, registering a shot within the first minute and a half and drawing two fouls in the first 10 minutes. The Eagles stayed resilient, though, and grabbed the first goal 12 minutes into the match.
The period following the goal was scrappy and set the tone for the rest of the match. Jack Burkhardt drew a foul at the 14:43 mark and Christian Bejar did the same at the 12:51 and 16:54 marks. The game finished with a total of 26 fouls and five yellow cards between the two teams.
The second half started poorly for the Eagles as the Friars recorded two corners and three shots before scoring their equalizer just under 64 minutes in. Vasco Teixeira sent a cross to the back post which found the feet of Aidan Davock, who tucked the ball into the bottom corner.
The Eagles momentarily bounced back, however, forcing Lukas Burns to make tough saves on shots from O’Neil and Leo Guarino. O’Neil finished with four total shots in the game and an assist through 76 minutes of play.
The Friars responded by hitting the gas and outshooting BC 4–0 in the final 15 minutes of the match. Providence also forced two corners to the Eagles’ zero.
Brennan Klein was a bright spot for the Eagles in an otherwise lackluster performance, recording 6 saves across the two halves.
The Eagles’ defense on set pieces was another positive that looks to be a solid foundation for building a strong counter-attacking unit. BC defended seven corner kicks with five coming in the second half of play.
In the final minute, Pepe Lora got behind a ball that could’ve changed the game’s narrative. Klein made a routine save, however, and the game ended in a stalemate.
