The Boston College field hockey team suffered a conference defeat on Friday, losing to the Virginia Cavaliers 2-1 in double overtime at the Newton Campus Sports Complex.
The Eagles were unable to notch the victory in their first ACC home game of the season. BC came into the game seeking revenge after being sent home in the 2007 ACC quarterfinals by the Cavaliers in a 3-2 overtime thriller. But their efforts were simply not enough against a 9-1 Virginia team.
As the rain came down before the game, the Eagles looked surprisingly upbeat in such a dreary scene, firing each other up with chants and chest-bumps
during the starting lineup call, even bobbing and swinging to the National Anthem. They were clearly ready for the Cavaliers and had a mission that wasn't going to get lost in a little bad weather.
The conditions were not ideal. As play began, the rain created a noticeable puddle toward the center of the field that would have put Lake Superior to shame. No one would have been shocked if the players had swapped their uniforms for swim trunks. It was a wet one.
Despite the rain, the two teams wasted no time in putting on a show. Virginia capitalized first, with midfielder Paige Selenski scoring on a pass from Lauren Elstein just a few minutes into the game. The shot went left post, just out of goalkeeper Julia Berkowitz's reach.
After the first goal, the two teams traded drives, with each team struggling to find rhythm in the downpour. Late in the period, though, BC made the most of a corner opportunity. Sophomore Janna Anctil crossed it to forward Bob Dirks, who carefully set up the ball for Chelsey Feole, who reared back and fired it past UVA's Amy Desjadon to tie it up at 1-1. Feole ended the game with three shots on target, while Dirks put five on goal.
The second half was another tug-of-war, as the teams went back and forth up and down the field. Neither team could really get much going, as the ball wouldn't move faster than a snail's pace.
2008 Woodie Awards
