After falling to California two days prior, Boston College field hockey looked to grab its first conference win of the season in Palo Alto, Calif.
Coming into the matchup, Boston College (4–8, 0–5 Atlantic Coast) was ranked last in goals scored in the ACC. The Eagles needed a win, but Stanford (5–7, 2–4) defeated BC 2–1 in overtime.
With just a minute and 49 seconds on the clock, Stanford’s Gemma Townsend sent the BC defense scrambling, as the ball skipped past Charley Kramer to give the Cardinal an early 1–0 lead.
Having just two minutes left in the first period and an otherwise dormant offense, Klara Mueffelmann sought to get BC on the board.
But her shot soared right as the ball kicked just beyond the net to end the frame.
The Eagles tallied zero shots on goal to end the first quarter—struggling to initiate any offensive power.
In the third minute of the second frame, Kramer made a close-up save. Getting her pads on the ball and kicking Ella Ganocy’s shot to the right to keep the game close, Kramer sprinted out of the net, booting the ball across the circle.
BC had several scoring opportunities in the last few minutes of the second period, putting pressure on the Cardinal’s defense. But BC failed to make a dent in the scoreboard, as the team couldn’t capitalize on four of their penalty corners.
Both the Eagles and Cardinal came out of the half firing.
BC goalkeeper Carine Van Wiechen made a glove save to bat the ball away from the net. She set up BC’s Laila Rosenquest, who threatened with a shot of her own.
The clock ran down in the third period with BC unable to put any points on the board, but the Eagles tallied two shots to Stanford’s one.
The Eagles entered the fourth period understanding that they needed to find the back of the net to extend the game.
Thirty seconds into play, Eva Kluskens made a run to the goal, cutting through Stanford defenders and passing the ball to Mia Garber, who then set up Madeline Leigh for a low shot on goal.
But this opportunity was unsuccessful, as were the three BC shot attempts that followed.
Everything finally clicked for BC with just one minute and five seconds left to play, as the Eagles notched a penalty shot.
Leigh passed the ball to Martina Giacchino, and, in a give-and-go fashion, Giacchino tapped the ball to Rosenquest, who sent the ball toward the net.
With less than one minute on the clock, Garber tipped the ball to redirect the shot to the top left of Stanford’s net, finally sending the shot past Anya Jackson.
The Eagles attacked first in overtime. BC sent a through ball leading Alex De Cain up the right side of the field. But De Cain was met by the Jackson, who dropped to her knees to stop the game-winning goal.
Ultimately, Stanford’s Natalie Hoppe would split through the defense, finding herself all alone in the striking circle, where she launched the ball to give the Cardinal a 2–1 home victory.
