 "Photo: Peter Tulley")
No. 8 BC 1 No. 9 Duke 0
No. 9 Duke came to Newton Campus trying to do what no team has done so far this season - beat No. 8 Boston College. BC dominated the first half, maintaining near constant possession, but had nothing to show for it.
A quick score in the second half turned out to be all it needed as BC hung onto its slim 1-0 lead despite heavy Duke pressure throughout the second half.
BC came out of the gate strong, keeping control of the ball for the majority of the first half. No great opportunities developed, however, as the girls looked rushed. Freshman midfielder Caroline Walden cut her defender and ripped a shot on goal from beyond the 18 yard mark, and there were flashes of great play throughout the half, but the Eagles never capitalized on it.
Early into the second half at 50:52, Lindsey McArdle placed a perfect ball out in front of the net and Maddie Johnson headed it in to score the game's only goal. The game seemed to be rolling just right for BC just two minutes after their first score when freshman Caitlin Burke got loose and went one-on-one with the goalie. She waited until the last minute, then fired her shot just off the post. The near miss seemed to cause Duke to catch its second wind.
The story of the game was the second half defense. Duke kept the ball on the BC half of the field for the majority of the half. They had eight corner kicks compared to BC's two and they had only three fouls against them compared to BC's 12. These one-sided stats are evidence of the extreme Duke pressure, and lead to some frustration for the home crowd. The frustration spread to the field, leading to BC's first yellow card of the season.
Just as the Eagles looked as if they might acquiesce to the constant attack, Laura Georges sparked the team back to life. She single-handedly stole the ball twice and took down two Duke players before the official put an end to her tirade by calling one of the 21 fouls against BC. Although it ended with yet another Duke possession, the hustle and effort put forth was a statement and the BC defense responded. Despite all the extra corners and free kicks, despite keeping BC on the defensive for almost the entire half, despite its relentless charge, Duke only got six shots on goal. All of its effort ended in vain as it was only able to match BC shot for shot at 12 for the game. The Eagles have 159 total shots so far this season compared to their opponents 56. Even more impressive is their mark of 67 shots on goal compared to opponents' 26. This defense has only allowed one goal all season and BC leads the nation with a 0.122 goals-against-average.
Junior goalkeeper Arianna Criscione lead BC to its eighth shutout of the season with her five saves. The defense has been stellar and leads the nation with a shutout percentage of 0.88.
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