BYU lost its first season match against Boston College (12-8), making this the first-ever loss to the Eagles.
BYU (#4, MCLA Coaches Poll) hasn’t played Boston College (#10) since 2008, but all three times these teams have met, they’ve played on a neutral field.
For the majority of the first period, Boston College Eagles controlled the ball, but in the last four minutes of the period Jayden Haws, attack for BYU, found an opening in a pass to Mike Fabrizio, who found an open shot, scoring the first goal of the match.
The Eagles opened the second quarter with a goal by Ross Fishman, DM for Boston College, setting the momentum for the quarter. The Eagles maintained control with midfielder Robert Van Fossan, shooting a strong shot between two BYU defenders for a goal, taking the first lead of the the game, 2-1.
Momentum only strengthened for Boston College as the first half neared its close. The Eagles started taking shot after shot, keeping BYU goalie Rob Ostler on his toes. By the end of the first-half, Ostler had ten saves, keeping it a tied 3-3 game going into the second half.
The third quarter BYU came out strong, gaining a 5-3 lead within the first four minutes, but Boston College came back to tie the game when man-up opportunities presented themselves.
“I felt we did well individually,” said Mike Arntsen, defense for BYU. “It was during our man-down situations that they were able to place passes we struggled to cover, and that’s how they gained the momentum that carried them through a large part of the second half.”
As momentum increased for Boston College, so did the score. The third quarter brought the Eagles three more goals, giving them a strong lead of 8-5. But BYU midfielder Nick Stevens put one more goal away before the end of the period, minimizing Boston College’s lead.
Boston College again came out strong, scoring two shots in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. The Cougars fought back hard with two points of their own mid-quarter, but the Eagles found their way to scoring two more goals late in the fourth, bringing the game to a close with a final score of 12-8.
“Tonight exposed some of the areas that we need to improve upon as a team,” said BYU Head Coach Matt Schneck. “We need to have stronger third quarters, turn the ball over less and give opponents fewer man-advantage opportunities due to sloppy play. Our goalies have had tremendous performances, but when they are in situations where they are playing so much defense it puts them in a very tough place.”
“We have to learn from this game, but we also need to move forward right away. Our schedule doesn’t get easier, so we will make quick adjustments for tomorrow’s game and not let this loss simmer,” Schneck said.
The Cougars will play the University of Oregon Friday, Feb. 22, at 6:30 p.m. (PST).
