Freshman Emily Mara notched her third goal of the season against UMass. (Yamari Santillan / Heights Staff)
Sprinting toward the right post, defender on her hip, and nearing the end line, Emily Mara seemed to find herself at an impossible angle.
But the freshman forward must have thought differently.
A simple toe chip struck the top bin as Mara’s third goal of the season quickly kicked off the scoring for the Eagles (4–1–2), who took home a 3–0 victory on Sunday afternoon.
BC shut out Massachusetts (2–2–2) for its third straight game without a loss and its second shutout of the season.
Goalkeeper Olivia Shippee capped off the defensive unit’s stellar performance with a shutout, all while facing a season-high nine shots.
After Mara’s goal at 5:53 in the opening half, the Minutewomen pressured Shippee with five shots on goal in the remaining 40 minutes.
The Eagles had three shots of their own in the first half, but the early goal allowed them to force away any attempts at a tied game.
And the second half followed a similar theme.
Just 9:08 after intermission, Tess Barrett delivered a corner kick in prime position for Sophia Lowenberg to pop her head out among the crowd and finish it off for a 2–0 BC lead.
BC served up 11 corners throughout the match, allowing the offense to flourish within its set pieces.
The defense stood its ground, understanding the dangers of a two-goal lead, especially when time dwindles. UMass only posted two shots on goal between the Eagles’ second and third goals.
After putting together a hat-trick performance last Sunday, Sophie Reale stayed hot by scoring a volley at the 86:15 mark.
After a corner kick was punched out to the top of the box, Reale waited a couple of bounces and pounded the ball into the bottom corner to push the BC lead to three.
The UCLA transfer has a point in every game where BC has scored, leading the team with 11 points.