With time winding down in Chapel Hill, N.C., it looked as though Boston College men’s soccer was on its way to another winless season in the ACC. The Eagles had been outshot by the Tar Heels 17–3 and were yet to register one shot on target.
But with less than four minutes remaining in the match BC’s (6–4–6, 1–4–3 Atlantic Coast) Marci Killeen sent a rocket into the top-right corner of No. 8 North Carolina’s (9–3–4, 4–3–1) net to secure a 1–0 win—the Eagles’ first ACC victory since 2022.
The game got off to a slow start, with neither team managing a shot in the opening 18 minutes. UNC’s Riley Thomas recorded the game’s first shot at the 18:56 mark, forcing a save from BC goalkeeper Brennan Klein.
Christian Bejar got the Eagles going in the 21st minute with their first shot of the game, but was unable to put it on target.
The Tar Heels responded with a few more shots of their own, but Klein stood tall in the net, saving both a 25th-minute shot from Sam Williams and a 45th-minute shot from Tate Lorentz.
The first half ended 0–0 with seven total shots and three total corners. The second half, however, was much more action-packed, as the Tar Heels took 12 shots, matching their first-half total of five shots in the first 10 minutes of the half.
Despite its five shots in 10 minutes, UNC could only get one of them on target. A shot from Andrew Czech at the 46:01 mark forced a save from Klein, who finished the game with eight saves and a shutout.
BC didn’t get its first shot of the half until the 64:05 mark, courtesy of Ask Ekeland, but the ball went over the net and out for a goal kick.
The Tar Heels continued to show why they came into the game as the eighth-ranked team in the country, taking shot after shot and drawing five corners in the second half.
As the game entered the final 10 minutes, it looked almost certain to end in either a draw or a UNC victory, as the Eagles hadn’t challenged UNC goalkeeper Andrew Cordes once all game.
But with less than four minutes remaining on the game clock, Jack Burkhardt rolled a ball over to Killeen around 30 yards out from the UNC net.
The distance didn’t intimidate Killeen as he released a right-footed missile into the top-right corner of the Tar Heels’ net.
The ball bounced off the bar and straight down into the net, leaving Cordes zero chance of saving it.
UNC could not manage to find a response in the game’s closing 3:58, and the Eagles escaped Chapel Hill with a win. The Eagles look ahead to the ACC tournament, where they will take on Southern Methodist with the chance to break a drought by capturing their first ACC tournament win since 2016.
