Though Boston College lacrosse won the NCAA title in 2021 and has experienced unrivaled success in recent years, the Eagles have never won the ACC Tournament.
But after their semifinal game on Sunday, the Eagles are one step closer. No. 2 seed BC (16–2, 7–2 Atlantic Coast) defeated No. 6 seed Virginia 20–12 on Sunday afternoon to advance to the ACC Tournament Final.
“We have nothing to lose, and we’re excited,” midfielder Belle Smith said after the game on ACC Network. “We want to win an ACC Championship. We never have.”
The Eagles took a quick 5–1 lead in the first period. Smith scored or assisted on four of those five goals. Virginia fought back, however, winning four straight draw controls and scoring three times in a row to cut the Eagles’ lead down to one.
Defending Tewaaraton Award recipient Charlotte North only scored two goals in the game, as Vriginia Tech’s defenders constantly doubled teamed and face-guarded her. North’s first goal came on her first shot of the game with 2:15 left to play in the first quarter. After having seemingly nowhere to go with the ball, North used her footwork to angle herself to get a shot around Virginia goaltender Ashley Vernon to put BC up 6–4.
North is now only three goals behind the all-time NCAA record of 341 set by Stony Brook’s Courtney Murphy.
By halftime, BC led 11–6, with six different players having found the net at least once.
Smith continued her strong play in the second half, and she finished the game with three goals and six assists. Cassidy Weeks was also crucial for the Eagles’ offense, scoring a career-high six goals and recording an assist. BC, which averages 6.89 assists per game, had a total of nine assists on Sunday.
“I think our team is just all about ball movement and being a seven-threat offense,” Smith said. “That’s exactly what we were today—every single person was involved, and that’s just a really hard thing for a defense to stop.”
In addition to Smith and Weeks, Kayla Martello and Jenn Medjid also recorded hat tricks. The officials ejected Medjid from the game in the third period after she picked up her second yellow card on a wild swing. But the Eagles kept their composure after a Virginia run made it a three-goal game late in the third, and they finished the game dominating the draw control 21–12 while outshooting Virginia 40–21.
BC outscored Virginia 4–1 in the final game. Seven different Eagles found the net, and goaltender Rachel Hall recorded one save in a defensive clinic by BC’s back line.
