Six minutes into Boston College women’s soccer’s game against Miami on Thursday, the Hurricanes’ Maria Jakobsdóttir easily slipped the ball past BC’s defense and found herself one on one with BC goaltender Wiebke Willebrandt.
Jakobsdóttir found the far corner of the net, giving Miami a 1–0 lead. Jakobsdóttir’s early tally was the only goal from either team, as BC (5–7–4, 1–6–1 Atlantic Coast) failed to keep up with Miami (5–6–3, 2–5–1) in a one-goal loss.
The Eagles played slowly from the outset. Miami pushed the ball up the field and created scoring opportunities, but it seemed as though BC was chasing after the Hurricanes. Miami moved the ball efficiently up the wings, culminating in Jakobsdóttir’s goal.
Emma Pidding received a throw-in and quickly moved the ball up the right sideline before crossing it into Jakobsdóttir for the score.
Even when the Eagles held possession of the ball, it tended to remain among their defenders, and BC struggled to maintain possession when pressuring the net. Though the Eagles got shots off, the shots were often rushed and resulted in turnovers.
As the first half wound down, BC finally woke up. It sped up its play to match the Hurricanes’ speed and found itself taking more shots. By the end of the game, BC outshot Miami 13–6.
The difference was in the quality of shots taken. After Miami scored, it relaxed and played patiently, waiting for the best scoring opportunities to take a shot. BC, on the other hand, frantically fired shots at the net, either directly at the goalie or wide of the net entirely.
The Eagles’ offensive woes continued a season-long trend, as BC has only logged two goals in its last eight games. In those same games, the Eagles have allowed 18 goals. In Thursday night’s matchup, Willebrandt saved two out of Miami’s three shots on net, but BC’s offense couldn’t capitalize on its 13 opportunities, resulting in its seventh loss of the season.
