BOSTON, Mass. — The Irish completed the spring break sweep with a win over Boston College Saturday, 15-14. The game came down to the wire and included eight ties but it was the visiting Notre Dame squad that reigned victorious after a save on the defensive side of the ball with 61 seconds in regulation led to the game-winning goal off the stick of MK Doherty as the clock wound down and a potential overtime loomed.
The Irish won the opening draw after a battle for the ball ensued outside the circle in the opening seconds of play. Despite picking up the first possession, the Eagles forced a quick turnover on the Irish and scored on the opposite end to take the 1-0 lead jus 1:02 into the contest.
The Irish tied it up at 6:49 of the first quarter when Madison Ahern was awarded a free position shot.
Notre Dame looked to take the lead after a caused turnover in the defensive end but Ahern and Jackie Wolak were robbed on a pair of shots by the BC goalkeeper and play continued with the score knotted 1-1.
After a series of key saves by Lilly Callahan in the crease, the Irish were unable to come up with the loose ball and the Eagles recovered with a full shot clock back. They capitalized on the second effort to take the 2-1 lead with 1:08 to play in the opening quarter.
BC won the following draw but a set of Irish defenders converged on the attacking player in the final seconds to limit the possession and hold the Eagles to the one-goal lead through the first 15 minutes. Aine Maseker was credited with the caused turnover on the play to keep it a 2-1 game.
The Eagles extended their lead with the first shot of the second quarter after winning the draw to start the frame. The goal came on the power play to make it 3-1.
Kathryn Morrissey got the Irish back within one with a shot from out front into the open net. The BC goalkeeper had left the crease in an attempt to intercept a pass behind the net but Jackie Wolak batted it down and ripped a quick pass in front to Morrissey for the tally.
However, BC answered less than 60 seconds later to make it 4-2. The Irish tried to respond with a fast goal of their own on the next possession but their attempt was stifled by Shea Dolce in the Eagles’ cage and instead BC got another to make it a three-goal game with 8:14 to play in the half.
Keelin Schlageter gave the Irish their third goal of the day, dancing through defenders before capitalizing to make it a 5-3 game.
The Eagles capitalized once more on the free position to double the Notre Dame score as they took the 6-3 lead halfway through the second quarter.
BC was awarded a free position attempt but Callahan made the save to hold the score at 6-3 before registering a second save on their rebound attempt.
Abby Maichin sparked a scoring surge for the Irish following the Callahan saves, making it a 6-4 contest and the first of four unanswered goals by the Irish to end the half.
After Maichin’s tally, Callahan made yet another save on the free position on the other end of the field before Wolak and MK Doherty each tallied their first goals of the game, respectively, to tie it up 6-6.
Doherty’s goal came with just over 30 seconds to play in the half and what seemed to be a last chance effort before the half.
The Irish won the next draw as Doherty picked up the loose ball and rushed down the field with her fellow attackers. As time ticked off the clock, Wolak found Maichin closing in outside the 8-meter. Her second goal of the quarter gave the Irish the 7-6 lead as the two teams headed to the locker rooms for the half.
It took the Eagles just 18 seconds of the second half to tie it back up as a shot beat Callahan in the cage for the 7-7 score.
Maichin’s hat trick goal at 2:11 of the third quarter gave the Irish back the lead as she made it 8-7. The senior attacker continued her career day with a four-year best fourth goal partway through the third quarter. Her shot from behind the back beat Dolce in the cage to make it 9-7.
The Eagles scored two goals to knot things up 9-9 with just under four minutes to play in the quarter.
Schlageter was awarded a free position shot with approximately 2:30 to play in the third stanza and despite her shot bouncing off the goalkeeper, MK Doherty corralled the rebound and beat a defender to bury her shot and regain the lead for the Irish.
The Irish attack unit beat the buzzer on the third quarter as Wolak found the back of the net in the waning seconds, giving the Irish the 11-9 lead through 45 played.
After a dangerous follow-through was called against the Irish, the Eagles got one back as they cut the Irish lead to one-goal with 13:30 to play in regulation.
The Eagles continued to pressure but three consecutive saves by Callahan in the Irish crease kept the visitors up by one.
BC eventually tied it up with 9:09 to play in the fourth quarter after an offensive push on the other end of the field, while down a player, was unsuccessful. The Eagles then took the lead when a BC attacker broke the defender behind the net and beat Callahan in the top left corner of the goal mouth to make it 12-11.
Moments after the Eagles claimed the lead, MK Doherty won the draw and found Ali McHugh across midfield. The senior middie then fed a pass through traffic to Kasey Choma who was off to the races to tie it up, 12-12.
Ahern was awarded a free position attempt with 5:19 to play in the fourth quarter but could not convert although the Irish maintained the possession. It was then Wolak who found Doherty out front who launched a shot into the back of the goal to take the 13-12 lead with 5:00 to play in the frame. The Eagles would respond with a goal of their own just 36 seconds later after a bit of confusion at the draw circle gave the Eagle midfielder an uncontested run at the net.
With 3:23 to play, Wolak drew a foul and capitalized on the free position to reclaim the Irish lead, giving the visitors the 14-13 score late in the fourth.
The Eagles answered on the power play with less than three minutes to play to knot the game at 14-14 before winning the following draw to hold possession.
The Irish held the Eagles without a shot as the shot clock dwindled to two seconds remaining on the BC possession but they drew a foul and Lilly Callahan came up with a crucial save on the free position to give the Irish one last crack at the Eagles’ net in the quarter.
It was Notre Dame’s Doherty that stepped up in the final seconds as the Irish found themselves tied in enemy territory with the ball in their hands as the clock struck 60 seconds. The senior midfielder scored the game-winning tally with 15.6 seconds left in the game and won the ensuing draw to solidify the victory for the Blue and Gold.
KEY STATS
- With four goals on the day, Abby Maichin set a new career-best.
- MK Doherty also hit a hat trick performance, giving the Irish the 13-12 edge with five minutes to play in regulation. The senior scored the eventual game-winner with 15.6 seconds left in the game before winning the following draw to run out the clock on the Irish win.
- The win was the team’s first in Chestnut Hill since 2003.
- Lilly Callahan finished the day with 10 saves on 24 shots faced, including four saves in the final quarter to clinch victory over the Eagles.
- With four goals a piece, Doherty and Maichin led the team while Jackie Wolak’s three goals and two assists was a team-best five points.
- Doherty’s six draw controls on the day led the team while Arden Tierney added five of her own.
- The Irish wreaked havoc on the defensive side of the ball, causing 10 turnovers and recording 13 ground balls.
UP NEXT
The Irish road trek continues with a trip to Clemson and Mercer next week before closing out the month at home when they host Pitt on March 30.