Following a commanding win over No. 6 Virginia on Friday, Boston College field hockey finished off its weekend with yet another victory in the state of Virginia. On a day in which Margo Carlin and Kara Heck combined for five goals, the Eagles extended their winning streak to five as well with the win over James Madison.
No. 14 BC (5–2, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) took down JMU with a dominant offensive performance—largely due to a second-half eruption of goals—shutting out the Dukes (2–5) with a 7–0 victory. The win marked BC’s largest road shutout since 2018, when it topped Quinnipiac 7–0 in its season opener, and the fourth consecutive loss for the Dukes. Until Sunday, JMU hadn’t lost four games in a row since 2010.
Just 2:38 into the first quarter, Carlin, the Eagles’ captain and a graduate student, scored her first goal of the game off an offensive rebound, initiating the beginning of back-to-back BC scoring drives. Carlin would go on to score a hat trick in the affair—including her 43rd goal for BC—which solidified her as the third-highest field hockey scorer in program history.
Carlin has been a key part of the Eagles’ recent success, having notched six goals, three assists, and 15 points so far in the first seven games of the 2023 season.
Unable to keep the Eagles’ offense outside of their half, the Dukes failed to make any offensive impact, garnering only one shot on goal and three penalty corners in the affair. BC, however, capitalized off its successful rebounds with 15 shots on goal and three penalty corners.
Within the first 1:04 of the third quarter, the Eagles scored two goals, bringing the score of the game to 4–0. Peyton Hale and Heck tallied the goals. This momentum proved to be a difference maker as BC went on to score another three goals in the final two frames.
Heck contributed to two of the final three BC goals in the matchup, which proved to be a significant part of the Eagles’ win in Harrisonburg, Va. Before Friday’s win over the Cavaliers, Heck hadn’t recorded a single point.
Heck’s connection to the JMU-BC matchup extended beyond the field as well. Heck’s mother, Kerry Heck, played field hockey and lacrosse for the Dukes and was in attendance to watch her daughter take on her alma mater.
With constant offensive pressure in JMU’s half of the field, BC solidified its shutout. The Dukes goalkeeper Brandelynn Heinbaugh did have some success in the net, making five saves. The Dukes were unable to achieve possession of the ball, however, and switched goalies with 19:38 left to play. Katie Fricke substituted in for Heinbaugh but only stopped four shots while surrendering three goals.
The Eagles held JMU to just one shot through the first three quarters. BC’s goaltenders, Caroline Kelly and Emily Gillespie, combined for the shutout in net, stopping just one shot along the way.
