Boston College Is One Win From An ACC Title Shot At History

Boston College field hockey eyes a groundbreaking victory in the ACC Championship as they face Syracuse in a highly anticipated battle of underdogs.

Boston College field hockey is one win away from something it has never done before.

The No. 6-seeded Eagles will play Syracuse on Friday at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., with the ACC Championship on the line. Boston College is in the title game for the first time since 2024, while Syracuse is back in the final for the first time since 2015. Neither program has ever won the ACC crown, and this matchup is the first since 2017 in which neither the No. 1 nor No. 2 seed reached the championship game.

BC earned its spot the hard way, stacking back-to-back 2-1 wins over higher-seeded teams. The Eagles opened with a quarterfinal upset of No.

3 Duke, getting both goals from Maren Boyle. They followed that with a 2-1 overtime victory over No.

7 Virginia, with Klara Mueffelmann scoring first before Boyle finished the job in overtime. Boston College has now won three straight, including two against ranked opponents in the ACC Tournament, and senior goalkeeper Charlotte Kramer has made eight saves across the two postseason games.

Boyle has been the engine of the run. She has scored three goals in BC’s two tournament wins, including the overtime winner against Virginia, which was her eighth goal of the season and her second game-winning goal. Mueffelmann has been just as important in the buildup, assisting Boyle’s first goal against Duke, scoring the opening goal against Virginia, and then setting up the overtime winner against the Cavaliers.

Friday’s game also brings a familiar opponent. It’s the 44th meeting between Boston College and Syracuse, and the Eagles are 0-3 against the Orange in ACC Tournament play since 2013.

BC did win the regular-season meeting, though, taking a 3-1 road result earlier this season. Laila Rosenquest, Mueffelmann and Caroline Chisholm all scored in that game, while Alex De Cain had two assists.

Boston College outshot Syracuse 9-5 and held a 6-2 edge in shots on goal.

Syracuse arrives with a 9-6 overall record and a 4-4 mark in ACC play, but the Orange have already knocked off a pair of heavyweights to get here. They beat No.

5 Louisville 4-3 in the quarterfinals, then stunned No. 1 North Carolina in a 3-2 shootout, 3-1, in the semifinals.

That win ended the Tar Heels’ nine-year run as ACC champions and sent Syracuse to its first title game since 2015. Three Orange players earned All-ACC honors this season.

Aubrey Turner scored against both Louisville and North Carolina, while Hattie Madden scored against the Tar Heels and converted her shootout attempt.

Kramer’s season has also been a steady force behind BC’s rise. She moved into eighth place all-time at Boston College with 28 career wins and is one victory away from seventh in program history.

She already ranks among the program’s top 10 in career wins and shutouts, and she is on pace to finish with five different top-10 marks in BC goalkeeping history. Last season, she posted a 1.40 goals-against average, which ranked among the top 10 single-season marks in program history.

This year, Kramer has 71 saves, a .717 save percentage and a 1.48 goals-against average. Her nine-save outing against Harvard was her high point of the season, followed by eight saves against Duke.

Boston College’s offense has spread the production around, with 13 different Eagles finding the net this season. Boyle leads the team with eight goals and 18 points, including three game-winning goals.

Mueffelmann is next with seven goals and 17 points. Caroline Chisholm, De Cain and captain Madelieve Drion each have 13 points, and Drion leads the team with seven assists.

Chisholm, De Cain and Mueffelmann each have three assists.

Boyle has also been efficient, scoring on eight of her 20 shots for a team-best .400 shooting percentage among the Eagles’ top scorers. Boston College is averaging 2.11 goals per game and has scored 40 goals this season, including at least three goals in 10 games.

On the defensive side, the Eagles have taken 97 penalty corners and have defended 72 of 96 defensive penalty corners, a 75 percent success rate. Opponents are averaging 1.53 goals per game, and BC has allowed 29 goals in 19 contests.

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