The crosstown rivalry between Boston College and Northeastern is a competitive one, with most athletic matchups between the two coming down to the wire and often going into overtime to decide the winner.
That was not the case in Sunday’s field hockey matchup in Newton, though.
The home contest between the No. 19 Eagles and Huskies proved to be a more lopsided affair, with BC continuing a highly successful offensive weekend with a 6-2 win. After dropping several spots in the national rankings following a difficult three-game stretch that included losses to No. 2 Maryland and No. 15 Northwestern, BC (3-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) turned things around on Friday with a 5-2 win over Dartmouth and brought the same energy to Sunday’s rout.
“We know the road’s only going to get harder from here but we had to get those two wins,” Eagles head coach Kelly Doton said. “These guys rebounded, we had a great week of practice … and now we’re just looking to Wake Forest next weekend.”
Northeastern (3-2) entered Sunday on an impressive offensive streak of its own, scoring three goals or more in each of their games this season. The Eagles, though, saw to it defensively that this streak would not continue, holding the Huskies to just two shots in the entire first half—meanwhile, they racked up more goals than in any other game thus far.
BC dominated the first quarter and opened up the scoring early. Fusine Govaert picked up a rebound off Brigid Wood’s shot with eight minutes to go in the first quarter and chipped the ball past Northeastern keeper Julia Gluyas for her fourth goal of the season. Shortly after, sophomore Sky Caron extended the lead off a penalty corner to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
As with the first quarter, the ball seldom left the Huskies’ side of the 50-yard line in the second, and BC continued to dominate, as Nell Webber took a pass from Charlotte Von Huelsen and buried a shot with just over nine minutes to play before the half. Northeastern won a penalty corner soon after, but the Huskies were unable to get on the board before the close of the half.
Coming out of the break, it looked as if the Eagles might have the game under wraps, especially as freshman Margo Carlin, who currently leads the team in scoring, angled around the Northeastern keeper at close range to put BC up, 4-0, with five minutes to go in the third quarter. The Huskies were not to be counted out yet, however, as Camille O’Conor knocked a shot through within a minute of Carlin’s goal to put Northeastern on the board. Despite this slight surge on the Huskies’ part, the Eagles answered right back as another freshman in Charlotte Von Huesen ripped a shot into the top corner to make it 5-1.
Despite a four-goal deficit, Northeastern kept the intensity up through the fourth quarter, immediately being awarded a penalty corner that Lauren Rowe capitalized on to cut the deficit to three. As the clock wound down the Huskies had many chances to gain leverage on the scoreboard, but BC held its ground defensively and keeper Sarah Dwyer made the only two saves needed to keep things under control. After an official review with just over six minutes to play, the Eagles were awarded a penalty stroke that Sky Caron buried for her second goal of the game, ultimately sealing the deal.
After the three-game losing streak that ended with Friday’s win, Doton was glad to see the team’s preparations pay off, both defensively and with respect to getting quality shots that showed up on the scoreboard.
“That was another area of preparation, making sure they were getting rewarded for all of their work inside the attacking 35,” Doton said. “Putting that many goals up on the board against a good Northeastern team—I was really proud of them.”
The team jumps into its first ACC matchup next weekend, traveling to North Carolina to take on Doton’s alma mater in No. 15 Wake Forest. Games within the powerhouse ACC present a challenge for a young Eagles team that’s failed to find success in the conference under Doton with more seasoned teams, but this group has some momentum after drubbing a pair of opponents by an 11-4 margin. There’s less room for mistakes going forward, but the team showed promise this weekend, albeit against lesser opponents.
Featured Image by Bridget Clark / Heights Staff
