Caroline Kelly stepped into the cage of New Balance Field on Friday night, familiar with both the view and the faces. In Boston College field’s hockey Battle of Comm. Ave, the graduate goaltender stepped into the goal against her former teammates—this time as an Eagle, playing for BC.
Kelly barely had to lift a finger in the ensuing 60 minutes. Following a two-game scoring drought, the Eagles dominated their matchup against the Terriers Friday night with two goals in just two minutes. Upholding uninterrupted passing and rigid offensive pressure, No. 16 BC (3–2) looked like a different team with a three-goal second quarter. The Eagles converted three corners and found the back of the net on a breakaway to take home their seventh straight victory over BU (1–3) by a final score of 4–0.
“Our defense is going to carry us,” BC head coach Kelly Doton said. “Like I said to those guys after the game, [this is] our third straight game of not allowing a goal in regulation. That’s gonna be critical for us down the stretch.”
Kara Heck took to the field with energy for BC, firing shots only for them to be knocked back by BU goaltender Kate Thomason. In their meeting last October, Heck notched the game-winning goal for the Eagles as they took the victory. And although BC was met with two straight corner tries in the eight-minute mark on Friday, none were able to reach the back of the net.
That was, until the second quarter, as BC put up three goals. At the 18:06 mark, Margo Carlin took the insert on BC’s fourth penalty corner. Senior Juliette Hijdra converted the opportunity with a shot that flew over the stick of Thomason, tallying her first career goal and BC’s first goal in three games at 1–0. Carlin’s assist marked her 100th career point.
“That’s been the focus, that was the focus, going into this week, getting some goals early,” Doton said. “I’m happy to see that she got one.”
Less than two minutes later, BC took to the corner again. This time, Simone Hefting fired a shot on the goal that fell to Carlin, who redirected the ball to the back of the net, putting BC further ahead 2–0.
BC’s defense continued to be as strong as its offense. After a foul inside the shooting circle, BU attempted its second corner, but the Eagles clogged shooting opportunities and took the ball back into offensive possession.
At the 27:11 mark, Kendall Hanlon created a takeaway into the midfield and sent a shot in front of the cage. Waiting was Martina Giacchino, who landed the shot on net to make it 3–0.
“Limiting the fast rate turnovers because our counter defense is set and everything like that—that is always going to be the focus,” Doton said.
The Terriers struggled to generate offensive possession against BC’s defensive line during the rest of the matchup, only tallying six shots that night compared to BC’s 15.
BU tried to test BC’s defensive zone, but the Eagles retained control around the Terriers’ shooting circle. Taking the ball out of play, BC held BU scoreless for the second half and the entire game.
The Eagles managed to capitalize on their eighth penalty corner of the night at the 51:55 mark. While Mia Garber missed the initial shot on net, Peyton Hale found possession and redirected a shot from the right side to Garber, solidifying a 4–0 victory for the Eagles.
“I was happy with the way that they performed,” Doton said. “They deserve that four–nothing victory.”
