Boston College Athletics
Boston College
University of Louisville
Eagles Open 2020 at Louisville
October 02, 2020 | Field Hockey
Boston College will open its shortened 2020 season at Louisville on Sunday
This opens a shortened ACC-only schedule for BC, who will play seven total games this fall.
THE MATCHUP
Boston College opens the 2020 season at Louisville. BC is coming off its best season as a program, amassing a 15-8 record with four ACC wins. The Eagles made their first ACC championship game appearance and first final four appearance.Â
Louisville enters the weekend with a 2-0 record, defeating Duke in back-to-back games in Trager Stadium, 3-0 and 3-1.
SCOUTING LOUISVILLE
Louisville enters as the top team in the ACC and the only team with multiple wins so far.Â
Mercedes Pastor is leading the Cardinals with two goals and one assists so far this year, while five of their six goals have come from different scorers.
In goal, Hollyn Barr started both games for Louisville, making six saves and only giving up one goal.Â
RECORD BREAKING
Margo Carlin had one of the best freshman campaigns in program history. Carlin started 21 of 23 games for the Eagles, scoring 20 goals with six assists for 46 total points. The rookie held her own in the ACC, finishing second in the conference in both goals and assists.
Carlin's first year put her fourth in single-season goals and single-season points in the BC record book.
For her effort, the Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania native earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors, while also being named to the All-ACC, All-Northeast Region and All-American first teams.
REPLACING AN ALL-AMERICAN
BC looks to replace All-American goalkeeper Sarah Dwyer, who was an integral part in BC's historic run. She posted nine shutouts in the last 14 games for BC with a goals against average of 1.13.
The GAA for Dwyer is the third-best in a single season at BC.
Jonna Kennedy looks to be the one to step in to take over between the pipes for the Eagles. She appeared in nine games last season, with eight coming before the the end of September.Â
Kennedy finished the season 4-4 with a 2.56 GAA and 26 saves.Â
A RUN TO REMEMBER
BC was one of the hottest teams in the country to close out the 2020 season. After starting 4-5, the Eagles went 11-3 with losses only to eventual national champion UNC.
The postseason run began in Chestnut Hill with BC hosting the ACC Championships. As the second seed, the Eagles downed Wake Forest, 2-0, before facing Virginia in the semifinals. A defensive battle saw Fusine Govaert score the game-winning goal 4:29 into overtime. The ACC run would end in the championship game to UNC, 3-1.
The Eagles then went to Louisville as the second seed in the region to face Northwestern in the first round. BC would show late resilience, scoring with 31 seconds left in the first half off the stick of Margo Carlin, before scoring the game-winner with 1:06 remaining on a deflection by Elizabeth Warner.
BC then faced Louisville for a chance to head to the final four. Elizabeth Warner opened the scoring for the Eagles with six seconds remaining in the first half. The game would head to overtime, where Sarah Dwyer made four saves to keep BC in the game. Both teams would need seven shots to decide the winner, before Carlin buried the would-be winner. Dwyer sealed it with a save to give BC its first-ever final four birth.
Although BC scored three goals in the national semifinal, it wasn't enough to defeat UNC, 6-3.
UP NEXT
BC heads to Syracuse for a double header, playing both Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11 against the Orange.
