Roundup: August 30, 2017

While Boston College fans await Friday night's unveiling of their 2017 football team, fall sports romped with a flourish last weekend. Men's soccer dominated both Quinnipiac and Boston University. Field hockey owned Newton Campus on Friday against Quinnipiac, then traveled to Albany for a double-overtime win against a ranked Albany team. Women's soccer thumped Colgate, and volleyball picked up its first win with a 3-1 victory over Alabama-Birmingham.

The wins didn't go unnoticed. Field hockey moved up to 12th nationally with their win over the Great Danes, one of seven ACC programs ranked within the top 15. They sit just seven points behind Michigan for 11th, and BC is less than 100 points behind Virginia and Louisville, both of whom earned one first place vote.

Their win over Albany came in dramatic fashion. After scoring their first goal in the game's first six minutes, BC remained off the board through a 1-1 regulation score. They had a chance in the first overtime when Chelcie Mendonca found Lucy Lytle, who was denied the goal. In the second overtime, Frederique Haverhals had a penalty stroke saved before freshman Caroline McGovern scored the game winner 90 seconds later.

"Albany is a tough place to play," head coach Kelly Doton said after the win. "(The Great Danes) played hard the entire game, but credit (goes) to our players. I loved our resiliency. We had a few opportunities that didn't go in, but we kept fighting. I am proud of our players right now."

The Eagles will put their ranking on the line against stiff competition in the ACC/Big Ten Cup this week. Remaining on the road, BC heads to Lancaster, Pa., for games against No. 14 Northwestern and No. 6 Maryland. It leads up to their ACC opener next weekend against Syracuse, a team currently ranked fifth but without a first place vote - something the nine other Top 10 teams lay claim to.

Field hockey's hard-fought result in Albany contrasted with men's soccer, who traveled down the Green Line to begin their quest for the proverbial Boston city championship. The Eagles dominated Boston University, scoring twice in the first half before adding two more in the second half. Callum Johnson and Simon Enstrom scored a goal and added an assist apiece, while Younes Boudadi added two assists in the win.

The Terriers took 20 shots, but only three found their way on goal. Compare that to BC, who maximized its chances by only taking 12 shots - with eight on goal.

BC is still yet to allow a goal in regulation play this season, and their back-to-back 4-0 results propelled them into their own national poll. Unranked to start the season, they jumped to No. 17 in the College Soccer News Poll, one of three rankings to list the Eagles. The United Soccer Coaches Poll placed them at No. 22, while the Top Drawer Soccer Poll placed them at No. 25.

Four of soccer's next five games are at home, part of a September stretch with only two games outside of Massachusetts. They host New Hampshire on Friday before playing Xavier on Monday afternoon.

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Football isn't the only sport kicking off its season this weekend. The men's golf program returns to the competitive links in Verona, N.Y., as part of the Tiger Intercollegiate, while the women head down to Kiawah Island, S.C., to play in the Ocean Course Invitational.

The women's team is coming off its best finish in ACC program history last spring. Finishing ninth in the 12-team field, the Eagles placed three golfers in the top 35, and their weekend in South Carolina kicks off a fall season where they'll play four tournaments between Labor Day and Columbus Day.

The men will feature the season debut of junior Matthew Naumec. Naumec spent the summer attempting qualification for the US Open. One of 80 players who advanced to sectional qualifying in Summit, N.J., he finished -3, four shots back of the the qualification spot. He's joined by Christian Cavaliere; the duo was named to the preseason All-New England Team last weekend.

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Speaking of kicking seasons off, the rowing team released its schedule, starting the countdown to their first outing on the water this fall. Their first regatta starts with what amounts to rowing's Super Bowl when they compete in the Head of the Charles on October 21 and 22.

The Head of the Charles is the largest two-day regatta in the world. It boasts well over 10,000 athletes and attracts close to 500,000 fans and supporters. Competing in the race is an honor unto itself, but succeeding is a memory that lasts forever.

Last year, Boston College finished 14th and 25th in the Championship Four and Championship Eight, respectively.

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All of this builds the palpable excitement to Friday night's football kickoff against Northern Illinois. That game kicks off at 9:30 p.m. ET and falls as the centerpiece to an exciting weekend of BC Athletics events.

Women's soccer technically kicks everything off on Thursday night with their game at Stony Brook, but Friday will jam pack Maroon and Gold pride leading up to football's opening coin toss. Volleyball takes on Princeton and Bryant at 11 a.m., and 7:30 p.m., respectively. They sandwich men's soccer and field hockey's 4 p.m. starts, with women's cross country also kicking off their season.

It's the start of a wonderful weekend of action. For a full slate of all BC games, be sure to check out the composite schedule to plan accordingly.

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