BC Women's Soccer Looking to Build on Recent Momentum: Extra Point
Boston College Women's Soccer grabbed its first ACC win of the season last Sunday, Oct. 19 when it beat Syracuse, 1-0.
Sophomore defender Amalia Dray scored the match's only goal on a penalty kick in the 33rd minute. The penalty was given to the Eagles after an inside-the-box handball from a Syracuse player. Dray's goal was her third of the season, tied for second-most on the squad. Junior forward Sophie Reale still leads the team with six goals.
BC's defense was able to finish the match with a clean sheet and keep the Orange from finding the back of the net. Olivia Shippee, the Eagles' goalkeeper, saved two shots on the night. The Orange recorded 11 total shots, with only two finding their way on target. BC tallied a total of 10 shots with five shots on goal. Syracuse goalie Shea Vanderbosch made four saves of her own as BC finally came though on top in ACC play. BC's Emily Mara, who was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Freshman list last week, had a strong match.
Before the win, the Eagles held a 0-5-2 record in conference play. The victory ended an eight-game winless streak which dated back to Sep. 14, when BC drew 0-0 with St. John's. BC last took home victory on Sep. 7 when it defeated UMass Amherst 3-0.
With just two matches left in its 2025 season, BC will take on Clemson (6-4-5, 3-3-2) on Friday, Oct. 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET and No. 3 Virginia (10-1-3, 4-1-2) on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Clemson Tigers find themselves just outside of the Division 1 Women's Soccer Rankings in the "also received votes" category. The Tigers come into Friday's matchup on a high, picking up three consecutive wins over ACC opponents.
Clemson defeated Syracuse on Sunday, Oct. 5 by a score of 2-1. The Tigers then travelled to Texas to take on SMU, picking up a thrilling 3-2 win. In its last match against No. 17 Wake Forest on Thursday, Oct. 16, Clemson's defense stood strong and the Tigers won 1-0.
The Eagles will have to watch out for freshman forward Juju Harris, who leads the Tigers with six goals. Harris also tops the squad in assists with six. Harris is a youth international for Brazil. Midfielder Renee Lyles is second on the team in both categories, with three goals and four assists. The fearsome duo will try to carve the BC defense open.
BC will look to end its disappointing 2025 season on a high note and pick up wins over strong ACC competition.
Brendan Mogan is studying communication and journalism at Boston College. He has worked as a staff writer for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, since spring 2023. There, he has covered women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, and more. Brendan works as a writer in the USA Basketball Writing Program, covering its youth teams in tournaments such as the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup. He joined Boston College Eagles On SI in 2025.