Football has the Heisman, hockey has the Hobey Baker, and lacrosse has the Tewaaraton Award. Listed as an early candidate for the high honor, Charlotte North has put together highlight reel-worthy performances game after game this season. Saturday’s game against No. 9 Virginia was no exception, as North scored seven goals to propel Boston College to a win.
No. 10 BC (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) beat Virginia 20-11 on Saturday in a bounce-back win after falling to No. 1 North Carolina last weekend. The Cavaliers (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) were undefeated prior to facing BC and averaging a staggering 15.8 goals per game.
North scored the first two goals of the game for BC in the first 10 minutes of play, giving the Eagles an early 2-0 lead. Jenn Medjid added to the Eagles’ offensive attack to put BC up 3-0, but Virginia’s Maggie Bostain responded 39 seconds later to cut BC’s lead back to two.
The Cavaliers and Eagles continued to trade goals until the scoreboard read 6-3 in BC’s favor. But suddenly, the momentum shifted in Virginia’s favor. Two goals by Lillie Kolak and one by Ashlyn McGovern quickly brought BC’s lead down to one with 7:41 remaining in the first period. A North goal less than a minute later shifted the momentum back in BC’s favor, and at the end of the period, BC led 11-6 following a North goal with nine seconds remaining in the frame.
The second period started on the same note that the first ended on. BC’s Cassidy Weeks scored an unassisted goal 40 seconds into the period, setting the tone for a successful rest of the game for the Eagles.
Most of the second period consisted of BC and Virginia trading offensive attacks, although two four-goal runs helped give the Eagles a clear advantage.
With 11:06 remaining in the game, BC scored the first goal of a 3-0 run to put the final nails in the Cavaliers’ coffin. Virginia, however, found some momentum in the last four minutes with two goals, but by then it was far too late to prevent the loss.
Nine BC players got in on the scoring action, three of which were freshmen Belle Smith, Kayla Martello, and Annabelle Hasselbeck. While Smith and Hasselbeck had already scored at least one goal this season, Martello’s two goals were the first of her collegiate career.
The highlight of BC’s offense—as it has been many times this season—was North. She leads the team in goals with 24 on 36 shots for a .667 shooting percentage. North is also third on the team in assists and leads BC in total points. She finished Saturday’s game with her second-highest goal total this season, second only to a career-high-tying performance against Albany to open the season.
Medjid also contributed substantially to BC’s effort on Saturday with three goals on seven shots. She has the second-most goals on the team with 14 and a .519 shooting percentage.
On the defensive side, BC goalie Rachel Hall recorded 10 saves on 21 shots. She has started all of BC’s games so far this season and currently boasts a .398 save percentage. Virginia’s Charlie Campbell, meanwhile, recorded 12 saves on 32 shots.
BC’s win over Virginia marks its third against a ranked opponent this season. The Eagles beat No. 15 Southern California and No. 22 UMass in their second and third games of the season. UVA is BC’s highest ranked win so far this season, and the Eagles have the potential to add to their resume with games against ranked opponents No. 17 Louisville and No. 12 Duke in the near future.
BC’s win over Virginia proves the Eagles are capable of competing at the highest level and bodes well for the rest of their season.
Featured Image By Kristian Lamarre / Heights Staff
