Eagles Upset Terps In ACC Tournament

The Boston College men's soccer team pulled off an incredible upset Tuesday night, defeating the No. 4 Maryland Terrapins 2-1 in an ACC quarterfinal match-up. Diego Medina-Mendez and Charlie Rugg scored two early goals for the Eagles and the team's defensive- minded approach was enough to hold off Maryland despite a desperate push in the end. The Eagles entered the game seeded No. 7 in the tournament while Maryland was the No. 2 seed.

Meeting for the first time since being routed 4-0 by the Terrapins in early September, the Eagles looked to be heading for a similar result early on. Maryland controlled the game in the opening minutes, as BC did not put many players forward when attacking. The Eagles were content to try their luck on the counter attack while making sure to swarm any threat posed by the Terrapins in the early going. This strategy paid off quickly for BC, when Kyle Bekker sent a cross into the box that found Rugg. Rugg's first shot was saved, but the rebound deflected right to Medina-Mendez who made no mistake in finishing. The goal was Medina-Mendez's seventh of the year and came just 14 minutes into the game.

"We used that feeling [of the 4-0 loss] as a yard stick," head coach Ed Kelly told The Diamondback. "We just wanted to see how far we've come."

The Eagles weren't done, however, as they doubled their lead just four minutes later as a result of some great defensive work. A dangerous Maryland cross was cleared away by Chris Ager, who managed to kick the ball far enough to give Rugg a one-on-one opportunity. Rugg used his speed to get past the lone defender and beat the keeper as well, giving him his team-high eighth goal of the year.

With the score 2-0, BC began to play an even more defensive style. Time after time, the Maryland offense came into the BC end only to be turned away by strong play from the back line. Keeper Justin Luthy was particularly strong, recording  five saves on the night including four in the second half. The score stayed 2-0 until early in the second half, when Maryland's Jereme Raley sent a cross into the BC box that was knocked in by Casey Townsend. With almost an entire half left to play, the Eagles defense did just enough to protect their small lead. Though the Terrapins came close to scoring on multiple occasions, BC managed to hold on and upset a team that they were heavy underdogs against and state their case as a serious contender in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

The Terrapins held a large statistical advantage in every important offensive category, including an 18-9 edge in shots and a 9-1 lead in corners. However, the Eagles' defense looked as strong as it has all year and avoided conceding tying goal. The Terps' best opportunity came on a Townsend header in the 83rd minute, but Luthy made the save.

"We were bombarded in that second half, and we defended," Kelly said. "I'm not going to apologize for that. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of heart when you've got guys like Casey coming in like that. It's not easy."

Things don't get any easier for the Eagles now as they prepare to square off against third-seeded Duke in the semifinals. The game, which will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Duke, marks the first time these two teams will meet since BC edged out the Blue Devils 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 22. Duke won their opening round game in a shootout against Clemson, after playing to a scoreless tie through regulation.