Assertive Eagles Head To Palo Alto

Confidence is key for the Boston College women's soccer team as it moves forward into the second round of the NCAA tournament against Cal on the Stanford Campus in Palo Alto tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to face top-seeded Cardinal or South Carolina on Sunday.

It seems the team's swagger has peaked at an ideal point in the season. Coming off of a dominant performance in a 6-1 victory over the Marist Red Foxes in the first round, BC's bravado is running high.

"We really asserted ourselves in the first half against Marist," head coach Alison Foley said. "Being up 3-0 in the first half of the NCAA game at halftime builds some confidence. We're definitely feeling really good after that win."

While last year's path to the College Cup ran through Newton, the Eagles are already on the road, flying to the West Coast to take on the Golden Bears in a neutral-site game. Road trips are a hurdle many teams must overcome and, even though BC has had difficulty away from home, Foley is assured given the close-knit nature of this year's squad.

"We're a very good road team," Foley said. "We have really good chemistry. As a team, we're OK with being on the road because we get a chance to connect and develop a positive team atmosphere on the plane or on the bus. The group really enjoys each other's company, so we enjoy being on the road."

The Eagles are prepared for a tough match-up with the Golden Bears, who improved greatly as the season progressed. With an experienced defense and solid passing game, Cal matches up well with BC.

"Berkley got significantly better as the season went on," Foley said. "They have two great centerbacks that are really seasoned and experienced, and they are a team that likes to possess the ball. They lost to Santa Clara 3-0, then came back to beat them in the tournament, so they're a team that's progressively getting better. It's going to be a fantastic match."

In the NCAA tournament, any team can win on any day. To ensure they come out victorious, the Eagles have been tweaking a few areas of their game in practice during the past couple of weeks. After struggling to find the back of the net for much of league play, they were finally able to see results of their hard work against Marist.

"We worked hard the last couple of weeks on defending set pieces and executing better offensively," Foley said. "Kristie [Mewis] has been working on her own set pieces, and she scored a beautiful goal on a free kick on Sunday. I was pleased with the improvements in that area, and I'm feeling really good about our team."

Without the guarantee of a next game in the NCAA tournament, the Eagles' seniors are playing like there is no tomorrow and don't want the season to end until they win it all. The Golden Bears are the sole obstacle that stands in BC's way of reaching the Sweet 16 again. With their sights set high, the Eagles are taking one small step at a time on the road to accomplishing big things.

"Everyone's feeling confident," Foley said. "The senior class has taken one step further each year they've been at BC, making the Sweet 16 their freshman year, the Elite Eight their sophomore year, and the Final Four last year. They're all very focused on taking another step forward to leave their legacy as the first BC team to win a national title."