Boston College’s women’s soccer team heads into one of its biggest road tests of the season Friday night carrying a spotless 8-0-0 record into South Bend, where No. 17 Notre Dame awaits for a 7 p.m. Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at Alumni Stadium.
The Eagles have done plenty to earn the trip. They kept rolling Sunday with a 2-0 win over Syracuse, their eighth straight victory to start the 2026 season and their first ACC win of the year.
Sophie Reale got BC on the board in the first half, Emily Mara added the insurance goal after halftime, and Olivia Shippee backed it up with three saves for her first shutout of the season. Boston College controlled the game, finishing with a 20-6 shot edge and a 13-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Now the Eagles take that perfect start into a matchup that carries real weight in the ACC race. Boston College is 8-0-0 for the first time since 2009, and the numbers behind the start are just as sharp as the record.
BC has scored 26 goals and allowed only five, is averaging 3.25 goals per game, and has given up more than one goal just once. The Eagles have also put together three shutouts, scored in every game, and piled up 23 assists on those 26 goals.
Reale has been right in the middle of it. She earned a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week after a seven-point stretch that helped keep BC unbeaten.
Against Boston University, she posted a goal and three assists in a 4-0 win, then followed it with a goal against Syracuse. Through eight games, Reale leads the team with 13 points on four goals and five assists.
She has at least one point in five of Boston College’s eight games, and she also ranks second on the team with 23 shots and 12 shots on goal.
The Eagles’ offense has not leaned on just one player, either. Eight different BC players have scored this season.
Nicollette Kiorpes has 12 points on six goals, Emily Mara has 12 points on four goals and four assists, and Addyson Kalaw has 11 points on five goals and one assist. Ashley Roberts has two goals and three assists, while Georgina Clarke has two goals and four assists.
In all, Boston College has totaled 26 goals and 23 assists in eight games.
Notre Dame comes in unbeaten as well, though the Fighting Irish have played to a 3-0-5 record overall. They opened ACC play with a 2-1 win over Clemson on Sept. 11 and have scored 19 goals while allowing seven.
The Irish are averaging 2.38 goals per game and 19.1 shots per contest, and they have piled up 51 corner kicks while limiting opponents to 26. Kate Kemmerly leads Notre Dame with four goals and one assist for nine points, while Lilly Joseph also has four goals.
Hodsden Ellie has three goals and two assists, and Izzy Engle has three goals and one assist.
Defensively, Notre Dame has been tough to break down. The Irish have three shutouts, Jackie Kasica has posted a 0.20 goals-against average in five appearances, and Annabelle Hollomon has a 0.34 goals-against average in three appearances.
Friday’s game also brings a long-running series back into focus. It will be the 20th all-time meeting between Boston College and Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish holding a 16-1-2 edge.
Notre Dame is 10-0-0 at home in the series, while BC is 0-3-2 at home against the Irish. The Eagles’ lone win came in a 2-1 result on Nov.
7, 2003. The most recent meeting ended in a 2-2 draw on Sept. 12, 2024, and Notre Dame has not lost to BC in the last 10 meetings, going 8-0-2 in that span.
The teams first met on Oct. 27, 1995.
Boston College returns home Thursday, Sept. 24, to host California at 6 p.m. at Newton Campus Soccer Field in its second home ACC game of the season.
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