Having sprinted to an undefeated 9-0 start on the season, No. 3 field hockey traveled to Newton, Mass. to take on No. 11 Boston College Friday. Both teams entered the game undefeated in conference play — the Eagles (8-2, 3-0 ACC) were coming off of a five-game winning streak as they stepped up to their home field to host the Cavaliers (9-1, 3-1 ACC), who were riding their best start to a season since 2010. In a gritty defensive battle, Boston College escaped with the 3-2 overtime victory.
The Cavaliers made it clear that after last week's game versus William & Mary, they wanted to clean up their stick work — but that was not reflected in their playing as they entered the game.
Unable to keep consistent control over the ball long enough to make a solid attempt on scoring, Virginia looked messy as the Eagles took advantage of sloppy play to intercept passes between the Cavaliers — doing so frequently.
Even with their lack of coordination, Virginia did not let Boston College take full control over the first quarter. While the Cavaliers were not playing at their best, they did well in challenging the Eagles for possession time. Holding the ball and preventing the Eagles from getting more possessions proved to be enough to stay afloat for a while.
However, with just 32 seconds left in the first period, Boston College was able to overwhelm the Virginia defenders — graduate midfielder Kiki de Bruijne and junior midfielder Eva Kluskens assisted senior forward Pia Serowik to her first goal of the season for the Eagles, leaving the Cavaliers trailing behind 1-0 as they left the first period without a goal.
Unfortunately Boston College was not done — and instead just finding their footing. Less than one minute into the second quarter, sophomore defender Elisa Brauel-Jahnke pressed the ball up the field and challenged Virginia's senior goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy with a shot that Kennedy could not save in time, widening the gap to 2-0. This marked the first time the Cavaliers trailed by multiple goals in 2024.
Unlike the first quarter, Virginia could not seem to get the ball back — never getting close enough to get a quality shot off until a penalty corner opportunity arose with just over a minute left in the second quarter.
With the Eagles down two players because of green cards, Virginia had a prime opportunity to score. Yet after graduate midfielder Meghen Hengerer attempted the corner, the Cavaliers let their chance to score slip away because of a lack of communication on the play. Boston College promptly stole the ball right back, and Virginia was left empty-handed.
The Cavaliers took and missed three shots on goal in the first half, while the Eagles made both of their shots on goal — leaving a bleak mood as the players walked off the field for halftime. Coach Ole Keusgen’s crew had their work cut out for them in the second half, uncharastically having to play from a deficit.
Entering the third period, it looked like the Cavaliers might be at risk of losing their win streak, but they were nowhere near giving up. Virginia responded by taking the field with the aggressive and energetic energy that fans have become used to seeing this season.
Sophomore midfielder Mia Abello, who was just named ACC Offensive Player of the Week, made a strong run up to her opponents goal, but sophomore goalkeeper Charlotte Kramer was able to block Abello's hard and fast shot on goal for the Eagles.
The Cavaliers' play very obviously improved after halftime, mostly because their willingness to put themselves in better positions increased tenfold. The team finally created open space for passing and shooting lanes — and halfway through the quarter, it paid off.
In the midst of a tussle in front of the Eagles' goal, junior midfielder Daniela Mendez-Trendler was able to fight the ball into the back of the net, finally getting Virginia on the scoreboard to cut its deficit to 2-1 and marking Mendez-Trendler’s fourth goal of the season.
The Cavaliers continued to ride the momentum of that goal with visibly better communication, control and grit. While playing much better for the rest of the third quarter, neither team was able to gain any more ground and as the period ended, Boston College held onto their thin one-goal margin.
Virginia brought that rejuvenated energy back to the fourth period, pushing any Eagle player in control of the ball with a newfound assertiveness. Graduate midfielder Suze Leemans then made a strong run down the side of the field with the ball, but tripped and was intercepted and the ball made its way back down towards the Cavaliers' side.
Both Virginia and Boston College have shown strong fourth quarters this season, with the Eagles having scored six goals in the last period this season to the Cavaliers' ten — a pattern Virginia stayed consistent with in this game. When it matters most, the Cavaliers stepped up.
As senior striker Taryn Tkachuck held possession of the ball in the penalty box, she was fought by Boston College defenders with no opportunity to score. As Tkachuck crossed the ball closer to the goal, Mendez-Trendler got her stick to the ground at the last possible second to deflect the ball straight between Kramer's legs though, tying up the game 2-2 with under four minutes remaining.
Once again, Mendez-Trendler performed above and beyond for Virginia as she scored two goals in the second half to bring the Cavaliers back to a fighting position heading into sudden victory overtime.
Unfortunately, a chance for a marquee comeback was significantly hindered with an end-of-game yellow card. Virginia entered the overtime period at a one-player disadvantage — but that didn't stop them from bringing its signature high-octane energy.
Fans watched with bated breath as the two teams battled it out in a race to see who would stand victorious in their winning streak. The Cavaliers didn't let up on their defensive energy, but just could not seem to orchestrate the clutch play, a factor that would come back to bite them.
Instead, the Eagles left with the walk off victory. They were able to make the final goal as sophomore midfielder Madelieve Drion made the game-winning shot right between Kennedy's legs, just short of three minutes into the overtime period — marking the end of both the game and Virginia's perfect record.
After this stinging loss, the Cavaliers will return home to face No. 16 Louisville Sunday at noon. The game will be held at University Hall Turf Field, and will be streamed on ACCNX.
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