Charlotte North stepped up to the 8-meter arc on Friday, preparing to launch one of her famous free-position shots. She wound up and fired the ball into the back of the net before the goalie could even react, giving Boston College lacrosse a two-goal lead over Virginia Tech with just under three minutes left in the first quarter. The Eagles never looked back.
After establishing its lead mere minutes into the game, No. 2–seed BC (15–2, 6–2 Atlantic Coast) secured their fifth straight bid to the ACC Tournament semifinals with a 19–13 victory over No. 7–seed Virginia Tech (9–9, 2–6) in the tournament’s quarterfinals on Friday.
BC entered the game with momentum on its side, as the Eagles were on the heels of a 15–13 win over rival Syracuse the week prior and had defeated the Hokies 18–8 earlier in the regular season.
BC reminded the Hokies of how deep its offense can be in the teams’ second matchup of the season, with seven players recording at least one goal and four earning hat tricks.
Caitlynn Mossman led the Eagles with five goals, while Jenn Medjid, Mckenna Davis, and Belle Smith each scored three. North and Kayla Martello scored two goals, and Cassidy Weeks scored once.
Virginia Tech entered the matchup seeking redemption against the Eagles. Unlike in the two teams’ previous meeting, the Hokies started attacking the net early and looked hungry for the ball.
While BC committed only one penalty, Virginia Tech found itself a player down four times, giving the Eagles plenty of time to build up a lead. BC played a fast but controlled game, connecting passes and drawing calls in order to gain free-position shots.
The Hokies, on the other hand, played quickly and made sloppy mistakes, giving up 15 turnovers and causing 23 fouls. Virginia Tech won 20 draw controls to BC’s 16, which gave the Hokies a slight edge that allowed them to stay in the game and prevent BC from moving too far out of reach.
The most notable difference between the two teams, however, was their defenses. The Hokies struggled to keep up with BC’s offense, allowing the Eagles to settle into plays and make the most out of each possession.
Virginia Tech goalie Lilly Kannapell—who replaced starter Morgan Berman 7:31 into the game—was Virginia Tech’s saving grace, logging 14 saves. A few key stops allowed the defense to have momentary success, but the strength of BC’s attack was too much for the Hokies to overcome.
The Eagles’ defense continued to shut down Virginia Tech, limiting its shots, keeping pressure high, and forcing turnovers. BC registered 41 shots to Virginia Tech’s 29.
