It’s no secret that conference games have been a problem for Boston College men’s soccer. A win over North Carolina to close out last season was its first conference win since 2022.
On Sunday night, though, matched up against No. 14 Virginia Tech (2–1–3, 0–1–1 Atlantic Coast) on the road, the Eagles (4–3–0, 1–1–0) showed no signs of fear as they picked up their first conference win of the season, shutting out the Hokies 1–0.
“We had to have a good mentality from the start,” BC head coach Bob Thompson said. “On the road, you can’t start off too slow mentality-wise.”
Andrej Borak, a freshman from Belgrade, Serbia, took over in BC’s net. He tallied five saves in the first 45 minutes of play, shutting down all nine of the Hokies’ first-half shots.
Borak only needed to put up one save in the second half to complete the shutout—the third of his young collegiate career—as BC’s coaching staff made defensive adjustments and the back line was dominant.
“Virginia Tech was playing really well on the ball, so tactically, we kind of adjusted our formation,” Thompson said. “We went a little bit more to a 5-4-1 with one striker, just to kind of help out the back line a little bit. And I think that helps, but [BC’s] mentality and defending was tough through the whole game.”
Although the Eagles shut down the Hokies’ offense, it wasn’t as if their offensive play was particularly explosive. BC put up six total shots to Virginia Tech’s 16, and none of those shots yielded a goal. It was the Hokies’ tendency to pick up fouls that allowed BC to score.
“There weren’t a ton of clear-cut chances, because I think both teams defended well,” Thompson said. “It comes down to critical moments sometimes.”
Jack Burkhardt set up to take BC’s penalty shot following a Hokie foul. Sam Joseph leapt the wrong way trying to tip the ball away from the Hokies’ net, and Burkhardt scored his first career goal as his shot flew into the bottom-left corner of the net.
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Virginia Tech’s Declan Quill got off six shots on BC’s defense, but Borak’s leaping saves were enough to stifle anything the Hokies kicked his way.
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BC’s defense has been effective in the open field so far this season, as many of its opponents’ goals have come off set pieces.
“[Borak’s] been a big part of that, but our whole back line did incredibly well,” Thompson said. “We actually named Moritz Gundelach a captain before the game—his leadership on the field has been great. I thought he was outstanding tonight as well.”
The Eagles’ lead was slim for the rest of the game. And against the 14th-ranked team in the nation, a one-goal lead is hardly safe. Regardless, the Eagles held up strong, showing poise as they clawed their way to a victory.
“I think the guys are feeling a good sense of togetherness because they can see everybody on the team giving it everything,” Thompson said.
