Boston College Athletics
Boston College
1-0-0, 0-0-0
Merrimack
0-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boston College | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Strong First Half Leads Eagles to Season-Opening Victory
August 20, 2026 | Men's Soccer
Eagles strike three times in first half
NEWTON, Mass. – Three first-half goals proved to be the difference as the Boston College men's soccer team defeated Merrimack, 4-0, in the season opener on Thursday night at the Newton Soccer Complex.
Dylan Mafong had his first career multi-point game with a first-half goal and an assist. Andrej Bork stopped all three shots that he faced for his first shutout of the season.
Ismail Dia opened the scoring in the 18th minute with his first collegiate goal when he knocked in a pass from Bryan Toro off a rebound.
The Eagles then struck twice in three minutes with Russell Brown and Mafong finding the back of the net. Brown struck first in the 33rd minute when he headed home a bouncing ball that found him after passes from Mafong and Tin Vastic. Mafong then got his goal three minutes later as he took it himself to find the back of the net from 25 yards out.
Jack Burkhardt made it 4-0 in the 71st minute when he slotted a ball into the corner from 25 yards after an assist from Jonah Funk.
The Eagles controlled most of the play, holding the edge in shots (12-3) and corner kicks (4-1) en route to interim head coach Francesco D'Agostino's first career victory.
Boston College is back in action on Sunday at 5 p.m. against Siena on the Newton Soccer Field. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Ismail Dia (1)
Assisted By: Bryan Toro
GOAL by BC Dia, Ismail Assist by Toro, Bryan.
17:05
Russell Brown (1)
Assisted By: Tin Vastic , Dylan Mafong
GOAL by BC Brown, Russell Assist by Vastic, Tin and Mafong, Dylan.
32:10
Dylan Mafong (1)
GOAL by BC Mafong, Dylan.
35:09
Jack Burkhardt (1)
Assisted By: Jonah Elias Funk
GOAL by BC Burkhardt, Jack Assist by Funk, Jonah Elias.
71:00
