Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Meg Kelly
Men's Soccer Ready To Shoot For The Stars
August 26, 2024 | Men's Soccer, #ForBoston Files
BC soccer is looking at its schedule with a steely determination to change its fate.
The look on the faces of Boston College's soccer team members sold a decidedly different story from years past. The final whistle drew the curtain on the Eagles' 2-2 draw against Iona, but the joy of tying a tournament-caliber opponent wasn't quite on the surface of BC's collective emotion.
For years, Iona has had a good reputation in soccer circles,  The visiting Gaels won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's regular season crown in 2023, but BC couldn't help but feel jilted after losing a 2-0 lead at halftime. The retooled Eagles understood how an opening night win slipped away but they are ready for the next jump, evidenced by their own heightened expectations for the 2024 season.
"The most encouraging thing was how we finished the game," said head coach Bob Thompson. "The guys were pushing for the last 10 minutes or 15 minutes to try to get the win, and I think they are going to be disappointed with a draw. It's something. It's a point, and we'll take it, but they'll be disappointed with a draw."
It took little more than a glimpse at Boston College's first half against Iona, for example, to understand exactly how chemistry and skill mix into success. The Eagles' dominating performance in the first 45 minutes, by extension, rammed a hard-charging style right into the Gaels' well-manicured back line, and wings and midfielders blended and filtered their positions near the forward line with little to no difficulty. A ruthless and effortless efficiency created opportunities, and Norwegian import Ask Ekeland bashed home two goals in his debut after transferring from Duquesne in the offseason.
"It's a balance," Thompson said. "It's a little mix of us tactically understanding how we're going to set guys up, but we just have some creative and talented players [on the roster]. So there's a mix of us giving them a basic structure and idea of movement before giving them the freedom within the system."
Ekeland was a prime exhibit for how a player fits a system while the system is tailored around a player. He'd bashed his first strike past goalkeeper Fernando Schmelz by blasting a 30-yard shot into the upper corner, and he followed it up by scoring a second goal steeped in fluidity and ball movement. A throughball from Max Andrews sailed through the midfield area before Marci Killeen moved towards the right side corner flag, and Killeen heel-kicked a backside pass towards the 18-yard penalty box for the striding Ekeland. The goal ranged from a Connecticut defender to a California midfielder in a forward position before the Norwegian scorer slammed it into the net.
"Ask left me speechless," Thompson admitted. "He had top-tier finishes, and we're super excited to have him."
As BC begins its 2024 campaign, the fight displayed in the opener was that dual-edged sword of what could be, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. With continued improvement, combined with the technical skill and relentless effort, the Eagles could be primed to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2019 campaign.
"Our team, culturally, is in a good place," Thompson said. "We definitely need to get some guys healthy. We have about seven guys that were out before the season even started, so we're a little bit late in getting guys healthy to improve our depth. But I think we'll be good. The culture and the mentality is good. We just have to work out the details."
BC hosts Providence at the Newton Campus Soccer and Lacrosse Field on Monday night at 5:30 p.m. The game can be seen on streaming television via the ACC Network Extra, available through the ESPN family of Internet and mobile device apps for cable subscribers with access to the channel.
For years, Iona has had a good reputation in soccer circles,  The visiting Gaels won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's regular season crown in 2023, but BC couldn't help but feel jilted after losing a 2-0 lead at halftime. The retooled Eagles understood how an opening night win slipped away but they are ready for the next jump, evidenced by their own heightened expectations for the 2024 season.
"The most encouraging thing was how we finished the game," said head coach Bob Thompson. "The guys were pushing for the last 10 minutes or 15 minutes to try to get the win, and I think they are going to be disappointed with a draw. It's something. It's a point, and we'll take it, but they'll be disappointed with a draw."
It took little more than a glimpse at Boston College's first half against Iona, for example, to understand exactly how chemistry and skill mix into success. The Eagles' dominating performance in the first 45 minutes, by extension, rammed a hard-charging style right into the Gaels' well-manicured back line, and wings and midfielders blended and filtered their positions near the forward line with little to no difficulty. A ruthless and effortless efficiency created opportunities, and Norwegian import Ask Ekeland bashed home two goals in his debut after transferring from Duquesne in the offseason.
"It's a balance," Thompson said. "It's a little mix of us tactically understanding how we're going to set guys up, but we just have some creative and talented players [on the roster]. So there's a mix of us giving them a basic structure and idea of movement before giving them the freedom within the system."
Ekeland was a prime exhibit for how a player fits a system while the system is tailored around a player. He'd bashed his first strike past goalkeeper Fernando Schmelz by blasting a 30-yard shot into the upper corner, and he followed it up by scoring a second goal steeped in fluidity and ball movement. A throughball from Max Andrews sailed through the midfield area before Marci Killeen moved towards the right side corner flag, and Killeen heel-kicked a backside pass towards the 18-yard penalty box for the striding Ekeland. The goal ranged from a Connecticut defender to a California midfielder in a forward position before the Norwegian scorer slammed it into the net.
"Ask left me speechless," Thompson admitted. "He had top-tier finishes, and we're super excited to have him."
As BC begins its 2024 campaign, the fight displayed in the opener was that dual-edged sword of what could be, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. With continued improvement, combined with the technical skill and relentless effort, the Eagles could be primed to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2019 campaign.
"Our team, culturally, is in a good place," Thompson said. "We definitely need to get some guys healthy. We have about seven guys that were out before the season even started, so we're a little bit late in getting guys healthy to improve our depth. But I think we'll be good. The culture and the mentality is good. We just have to work out the details."
BC hosts Providence at the Newton Campus Soccer and Lacrosse Field on Monday night at 5:30 p.m. The game can be seen on streaming television via the ACC Network Extra, available through the ESPN family of Internet and mobile device apps for cable subscribers with access to the channel.
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