Preview: No. 16 Virginia and Massachusetts

Friday, September 23

Newton, Mass.

6:00 PM

Boston College

Virginia

Photo by: Gord Buttinger

Preview: No. 16 Virginia and Massachusetts

September 23, 2016 | Field Hockey

The Eagles set to host a pair at home Friday and Sunday

No. 9 Boston College vs. No. 16 Virginia
Friday, Sept. 23 | 6 p.m.
Newton Field Hockey Complex | Newton, Mass.
Live Stats

No. 9 Boston College vs. Massachusetts
Sunday, Sept. 25 | 2 p.m.
Newton Field Hockey Complex | Newton, Mass.
Live Stats

WATCH: Doton's Weekly Press Conference

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Riding a three-game winning streak, Boston College field hockey has surged nine spots in the NFHCA weekly rankings, entering this week as the nation's ninth-ranked team. This weekend, the Eagles will put their top-10 ranking to the test against a pair of traditional field hockey power: No. 16 Virginia and Massachusetts.

On Friday, BC (4-3, 1-1 ACC) will host conference foe Virginia at 6 p.m. at the Newton Field Hockey Complex. The Cavaliers come into the game with a 4-4 overall record and an 0-1 mark in ACC play. Virginia split its two games last weekend, defeating No. 10 Princeton, 2-0, at home before falling to No. 5 Connecticut on Sunday, 8-0.

"It's two tough opponents," BC head coach Kelly Doton said. "We have ACC (opponents) every Friday and then a tough regional opponent. There's no weakness in our schedule, and our players want it no other way."

Boston College holds a 7-10 all-time record against Virginia, and has won the last two meetings. In 2015, BC claimed its only ACC victory on the road in Charlottesville, taking a 4-3 win in overtime against Virginia, which set the stage for the Eagles' late-season run into the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight for the second time in program history.

Doton noted, "Virginia is a different attacking style team. They have the reigning national player of the year in Tara Vittese. They're very threatening, as well. Any ACC opponent is going to give us some challenges on defense."

Sunday, the Eagles will host Massachusetts at 2 p.m. While BC is 9-16 all-time against the Minutewomen, the Eagles have won nine of the last 11 meetings dating back to 2002. In the last two years, BC won 2-0 at home in 2014 and 3-2 in Amherst in 2015.

UMass enters the weekend with a 4-3 overall record, but will face No. 18 Stanford (2-4) on Friday afternoon in Amherst.

"Sunday, we'll be approaching a different style of attack. UMass has been scoring a lot of goals that our defense is going to have to be ready for," Doton said.

For the Eagles, Brittany Sheenan continues to pace the team offensively with eight goals and two assists. Her 18 points lead the team and her 2.57 points per game average ranks second in the ACC and 14th nationally. Eryn McCoy – fresh of her eight-point effort on Sunday – ranks second on the team, while twin sister Emily McCoy is third with five points (two goals, one assist). Lucy Lytle is the team's other multiple-goal scorer with two.

Defensively, the Eagles lowered their goals against average to 1.71 goals per game with a pair of one-goal performances last weekend. Audra Hampsch boasts an .800 save percentage – third in the ACC and ninth-best nationally – while averaging 6.29 saves per game to lead the conference.

Following this weekend's games, Boston College will play a single game next weekend when the team will travel to face No. 2 Duke at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30 in Durham, N.C. That game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.