Boston College’s season started with a win at home 3-0 over Providence College. Senior and co-captain Kristen Mewis played a large role in orchestrating the win, contributing a goal, an assist, and constant offensive pressure. The game was mostly dominated by BC in front of a home crowd of 831.
It did take Boston College 41 minutes to finally put themselves on the scoreboard. Kristen Mewis put an absolute bullet past Providence keeper Jessica Goudreault at the near post from about 20 yards out. Mewis admitted after the game that the first forty minutes were somewhat frustrating as the team found their footing. “It took a little bit of time for us to get our rhythm again. We had a scrimmage against UMass, but this was our first real game. Everyone had first game jitters, so we did come out a little slow. But as soon as we scored, we settled down and played our game better.”
It only took another four minutes for Mewis to influence the game again, this time sending in a curving shot from distance that keeper Goudreault was forced to save. The rebound landed right at the feet of freshman McKenzie Meehan, who quickly slotted it into the back of the net for her first goal as a BC Eagle.
The Eagles didn’t let up in the second half, and in the 54th minute, truly put the game out of reach for the Providence Friars. The third and final goal for BC was a header from junior Patrice Vettori on a cross in from sophomore defender Rachel Davitt. Providence had a few chances in the second half, most of them spearheaded by forward Catherine Zimmerman. Notably, with about ten minutes left in the game, Zimmerman timed her run perfectly to receive a pass that left her one-on-one with BC keeper Alexa Gaul. She held onto the ball for a second too long before taking her shot, allowing Davitt the time to get back and make another huge play in blocking her shot.
While Boston College may have had to overcome some first game nerves, once they settled into the game their touches and passes looked much better. They frequently won challenges in the air and interrupted Providence’s passing game. Two freshman in particular stood out, midfielder Jana Jeffrey and defender Lauren Bernard. Bernard in particular was able to take advantage of the offensive nature of most of the match and used the wing, spread the field of play, and sent some dangerous crosses into the box. BC does need to work on using the entire field more during the game, as they frequently found themselves in a clump of the Providence back line at the top of the box along with a few of their own. Their finishing problems in this game were hopefully only early-season jitters.
Mewis also said after the game, “Our team looked great tonight. Obviously there’s some spots that we can improve, and we will keep improving. We’re just moving forward to our next game, and we’re really happy with this win.”
Head Coach Alison Foley was also happy with the start to the season and the 3-0 win. When asked about her new players, Foley said, “We’ve been really pleased with our freshman group. They came in fit, they’re a focused group. Lauren [Bernard] was excellent, her ability to stay connected with the back line, she can make great runs forward, she serves a great ball from the left side. I think Jana [Jeffrey] is going to be a handful and we’ve got big expectations for her.”
Foley also noted that the early signs this year are all good. “In my sixteen years, I think it’s been the best preseason. I think the depth of this team is excellent, and a testament to how many [players] we can go deep.”
Boston College embarks on a road trip for its next four games. They will face UConn on August 24th. Their next home game is versus Northeastern on September 5.
