Boston College women’s soccer may have split its first couple matches against James Madison and William and Mary, but one thing is for certain: Olivia Vaughn is on fire.
The sophomore striker out of Montclair, N.J. racked up three goals in the Eagles’ first two games of the regular season, and she’s the main reason why the squad didn’t open with a winless weekend in Virginia.
On Sunday, Vaughn couldn’t do enough to eke out another come-from-behind victory, but at least she made sure BC avoided a shutout.
William and Mary opened up the scoring in the second game of the JMU Tournament with a goal in the 27th minute. Sarah Segan snuck one past Alexis Bryant in goal as the Eagles fell behind in the first half for the second-straight match.
The Tribe added to their lead in the 52nd minute, when Rachel Moore netted her first goal of the season to make it 2-0. William and Mary added the dagger in the 83rd minute off the boot of Sami Grasso.
Less than a minute later, Vaughn fought her way into the box and deflected the ball into the net for BC’s first and only score of the match. The 3-1 defeat marks the team’s first nonconference loss since 2015.
On Friday, Vaughn’s effort was a bit more heroic.
After watching James Madison jump out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the first half, Vaughn answered with a goal in the 62nd minute to cut the lead in half. Lizzy Lazzaro appeared to put the game out of reach for the Eagles when she connected on a deep free kick that was misplayed, increasing the Dukes’ lead to 3-1.
With five minutes remaining, Jenna Bike made it a one-goal contest again thanks to a beautiful through ball by Allyson Swaby. Then, with less than a minute to play, Vaughn wound up and shot a deep screamer in stride, finding the back of the net for the dramatic equalizer.
In the 96th minute, Lauren Berman ended it all with a penalty kick, her first goal of the season. Led by a pair of sophomore studs and one clutch senior, BC completed the unlikely turnaround.
With four freshmen and three sophomores in the starting lineup, don’t be surprised if thrilling late-game comebacks are commonplace with this young, energetic team. But they will also need to develop the maturity to prevent early deficits like these come ACC play.
For now, though, Vaughn is not only filling the void left by McKenzie Meehan’s departure, but giving fans hope for the next generation of Eagle forwards.
Featured Image by Lizzy Barrett / Heights Editor
