A new chapter opens Monday night at Conte Forum, where Boston College women’s basketball begins the Kate Popovec-Goss era against Holy Cross at 6 p.m.
BC has a fresh face on the sideline and a roster with plenty of turnover to sort through. The Eagles hired Popovec-Goss on March 27, 2026, making her the ninth coach in program history. She arrives after four seasons at Bradley, where she took the Braves from four wins in her first year to 20 in 2025-26.
The rebuild starts with a group that includes nine newcomers - six freshmen and three transfers - alongside three returners: Athena Tomlinson, Jocelyne Grier and Eleanor Trout. The staff around Popovec-Goss features Carrie Banks as associate head coach, with Ollie Goss, JerShon Cobb, Stephanie Miller and Jahari Smith also on board in assistant and development roles.
There is already a little momentum around one of those newcomers. Junior forward Grace Oliver was named to the 2027 Katrina McClain Award Watch List, recognition that goes to the top power forward in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
Oliver enters her first season with the Eagles after a breakout sophomore year at Wake Forest, where she led the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game and shot 60.4 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point range and 73.7 percent at the line. She was one of four ACC forwards recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and one of just three players nationally to average at least 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals while hitting those shooting marks.
BC’s numbers from last season offer a few clues about what Monday could look like. The Eagles shot 77.5 percent from the free-throw line, their best mark since the 2020-21 season, and averaged 14.3 turnovers per game.
Jocelyne Grier was one of three BC players dating back to the 2001-02 season to average at least 9.5 points and make at least 40 3-pointers off the bench, while Athena Tomlinson is six assists shy of 200 for her career. The Eagles also have seven international players, tied with Cal for the most in the ACC.
Home court has mattered for BC from deep, too. The Eagles ranked sixth in the ACC with seven 3-pointers per game, and five of their six best shooting performances from beyond the arc last season came at Conte Forum. Grier was especially dangerous there, with 29 of her 44 3-pointers coming at home.
Holy Cross brings a strong résumé into the opener. The Crusaders went 23-10 last season, won their third Patriot League Tournament in four years in 2025-26 and reached the NCAA Tournament.
They were picked fourth in the Patriot League preseason poll and return key pieces including Kendall Eddy, Janie Bachmann, Hannah Griffin and Simone Lewis. Eddy averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and earned Patriot League All-Defense honors after piling up 70 steals.
Candice Green is in her third season leading Holy Cross and owns a 42-22 record. Her team was stingy a year ago, holding opponents to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor, good for first in the Patriot League and No. 52 nationally. The Crusaders also allowed just 57.6 points per game, third in the league and 26th in the country.
The matchup comes with a familiar backdrop. Boston College is 34-11 against Holy Cross, though the Crusaders took last season’s opener in Conte Forum, 72-71. In that game, Grier scored 13 points with six rebounds and six steals in her college debut, while Tomlinson added nine points, six assists and five rebounds.
A win Monday would give Popovec-Goss her first at BC, move the Eagles to 1-0 and mark a ninth season-opening victory in the last 10 years. It would also push BC to 35-11 against Holy Cross. The Eagles are 40-15 all-time in season openers and have won eight of their last nine, while first-year head coaches are 5-3 in their opening debut.
Fans arriving early will receive a white BC T-shirt.
BC returns to action Thursday at Harvard, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Boston College Let Another Hockey East Game Slip Away
Boston College had enough offense to make Friday night feel like a step forward, but not enough finish to turn it into a needed Hockey East win at Kelley Rink. Alex Pelletier paced the Eagles with a goal and two assists, and Dean Letourneau and Jake Sondreal also found the net, giving BC a lineup that produced in spurts and kept the game tight against Northeastern.
Still, the Eagles came away with a 4-3 overtime loss, another reminder of how thin the margin has been early in the season. Northeastern got the decisive goal in the extra session to leave BC at 2-4-1 overall, and for a team trying to settle into a rhythm, dropping one that was there to be taken stings just a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Let Another Halloween Chance Slip Away
Boston College had enough offense to make a Halloween-night hockey game feel alive, with Alex Pelletier and Dean Letourneau both getting on the board and giving the Eagles chances to push past Northeastern. The matchup had the kind of edge youd expect from a rivalry game, with penalties and power plays shaping the flow and Boston College repeatedly trying to answer every Huskies surge.
But Northeastern kept finding the timely response, with goals from Jacob Mathieu and Amine Hajibi ultimately proving too much for the Eagles to overcome. Boston College had its moments and briefly tilted the game with pressure of its own, yet the Huskies managed to hold off each push and leave the Eagles with another October result they will not want to revisit. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Bowl Hopes Took A Brutal Hit After Week 9
Week 9 brought a rough reset across the college football landscape, with ESPNs updated FPI ratings reflecting the ripple effects of a busy Saturday. Iowas win over Wisconsin helped lift the Hawkeyes, USCs upset of Ohio State gave the Trojans a major boost, and the broader postseason picture shifted again as teams jockeyed for College Football Playoff positioning and bowl security.
For Boston College, though, the update only underscored how much ground still has to be made up after a lopsided loss to Duke. The Eagles are now staring at a narrow path to eligibility, and with the season moving deeper into November, every remaining game carries more weight as they try to salvage their bowl hopes. [Read more 🡒]