Boston College field hockey is back on its home turf this weekend with two ACC matchups on deck, first against No. 16 California on Friday and then Stanford on Sunday at Newton for senior day.
The Eagles enter at 6-8 overall and 1-4 in conference play after a 4-0 loss to No. 10 North Carolina on Friday night in Chapel Hill.
Even in defeat, senior goalkeeper Charlotte Kramer gave BC a chance to hang around early, making six saves and helping keep the Tar Heels off the board in the opening quarter. Boston College was still within one through halftime.
Friday’s game brings the eighth all-time meeting between BC and California, with the Golden Bears coming in at 8-5 and also 1-4 in the ACC. The teams met on the road last season, when the Eagles dropped a shootout. Cal is fresh off a 7-1 win over UC Davis in its only game last weekend.
The Golden Bears got a major offensive boost from senior forward Holly Pears, who was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after piling up eight points on four goals. It was her first career ACC weekly honor, and she’s now tied for fifth in the league in goals.
Liz Klompmaker has been the main scoring force for Cal, leading the team with 12 goals and four assists for 28 points. That puts her second in the ACC in both goals and points.
In goal, Carine van Wiechen - a transfer from Boston College - ranks second in the conference in saves per game at 4.77.
Sunday’s matchup with Stanford will be the 10th between the programs. The Eagles went to overtime in last year’s meeting on the road, falling 2-1.
Stanford arrives at 9-5 and, like BC, is one of two unranked teams in the ACC. The Cardinal will play Syracuse before heading to Newton.
Junior goalkeeper Anya Jackson has been busy all season and leads the conference with 77 saves. Stanford has also been efficient on both sides of penalty corners, clearing 48 of 63 opponent chances while converting nine of 59 of its own. Star Horlock leads the Cardinal in both goals and points.
Kramer’s season has continued to climb into the BC record book. She moved into eighth all-time at Boston College with 24 career wins and is now in the program’s top 10 in career wins and shutouts. She is on pace to finish her career with five different top-10 marks in BC goalkeeping history.
Over the Eagles’ last 12 games, Kramer has made 56 saves with a .709 save percentage and a 1.66 goals-against average. Her season-high 9 saves came against Harvard, with eight more against Duke.
BC’s offense is being led by captain Madelieve Drion, who has five assists and ranks sixth in the ACC. Maren Boyle has 10 points, sitting just behind Mueffelmann.
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