Boston College’s leading scorer, Margo Carlin, entered Friday’s contest against Syracuse with 15 goals, two more than SU’s star freshman Charlotte de Vries.

Carlin, also a freshman, left the Boston College Field Hockey Complex in Chestnut Hill with two more goals and a win. No. 13 BC (9-5, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) limited de Vries to two shots — neither on goal — to hand No. 15 Syracuse (8-5, 1-3) its third straight loss, 2-1. 

Much of the first quarter was played in the midfield, as neither team registered a shot on goal. SU goalkeeper Sarah Sinck, who leads the conference in saves per game (3.5), was tested with three minutes left in the period, though, when BC hit a bouncing cross across the shooting circle. Sinck sprawled out and cleared the dangerous ball with her outreached stick. 

On another play, Sinck slid outside the shooting circle to knock a long through pass out of bounds. Sinck made three saves in the game. 

In the second quarter, the Eagles began to control the possession. With six-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter, BC forward Jaime Natale snuck behind Syracuse’s defense and struck a backhanded shot that skipped past Sinck but rattled off the post. Seconds later, on the ensuing penalty corner, Sky Caron hit a shot through a crowd that hit the post again. Two BC shots, two posts, no goals. 

Later in the period, Carlin lifted the ball in the shooting circle and juggled it on her stick twice before lofting a shot over Sinck, but just wide of the net. She’d have to wait until the second half to put the Eagles on top.

A pass from the midfield found Natale on the outside of  the circle. She drew Sinck off her goal line and tapped a pass to Carlin, who finished it off, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead. But Syracuse regrouped at halftime and responded with 16 seconds left in the third quarter with a goal from midfielder Claire Cooke. The junior tapped in a pass from Sarah Luby for her third goal of the season, which knotted the score at one apiece. 

The two teams played evenly in the final frame, but Carlin’s second goal of the night — her 17th on the season — with two minutes remaining gave BC the 2-1 advantage it would hold until the final whistle.

Published on October 18, 2019 at 8:03 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman