BC women’s soccer were the only unbeaten team left in the ACC coming into this afternoon, and they remain unbeaten after a hard fought 2-1 win over Florida State. The 7th-ranked, defensive powerhouse Seminoles were BC’s toughest test so far this season and the Eagles proved up to the task, improving to 10-0-0 (2-0-0 ACC).
The Eagles had the edge in possession in the first half, but were not able to put one in despite creating some good opportunities. The Eagle defense, which has excelled so far this season, was able to regroup and regain possession whenever the Seminoles threatened.
The breakthrough came in the opening two minutes of the second half when Jenna Bike beat a pair of defenders and was pulled down in the box on a scoring opportunity. Gaby Carreiro converted the penalty kick for the go-ahead goal. The Seminoles turned up the offensive pressure immediately, drawing a free kick on the following possession that forced Alexis Bryant to make a diving save near the left post. FSU continued to attack, using their deep bench to rotate in fresh legs.
With the 1-0 game becoming more and more physical, the teams traded yellow cards midway through second half, but neither could capitalize off the scoring opportunities. Florida State’s equalizer came with 16:27 remaining when a Kayla Duran tripping foul in the box led to a PK goal by Deyna Castellanos to tie the score at 1. Jenna Bike answered almost immediately with a breakaway goal with 15:39 left on the clock, her first of the season. The BC defense was able to withstand a prolonged Seminole offensive set in the final ten minutes culminating in a huge sliding save off Alexis Bryant’s foot to secure the upset.
The Eagles have received votes but fallen short of the top 25 the past two weeks. Now at 10-0-0 and with a pair of conference wins, they look to rocket up into the rankings. The Eagles will hit the road for a pair of games this week, travelling to Wake Forest on Thursday to make up their match with the Demon Deacons and then to Clemson for a 7PM Sunday night game.