Boston College Bounces Notre Dame, Continues Final Four Streak

Boston College is Final Four bound for the sixth-straight season. Fueled by five goals and three assists from Belle Smith and four goals and three assists from Jenn Medjid, the Eagles cruised by Notre Dame 20-6.

Kayla Martello tallied a hat trick, and Mckenna Davis posted a goal and three helpers. The Eagles shot 20-for-33 (.606) while limiting Notre Dame to 6-for-17 (.353). The Irish entered the game sixth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 15.90 goals per game.

“We have the best defense in the country,” Smith said. “I go down there as a midfielder, and all I do is keep my ears open and listen. They are the leaders of this team. They shut an amazing Notre Dame offense to six goals.”

Mary Kelly Doherty and Jackie Wolak each tallied one goal and one assist for Notre Dame. The Irish, the lone unseeded team to advance to the quarterfinals after upsetting Florida on Sunday, ends the season 15-6.

Martello got the Eagles on the board first when she cut off-ball, rolled past the Irish defense and scored to put BC up 1-0 less than 90 seconds into the game.

The Irish countered when Madison Ahern went behind the back to tie it at 1 at 8:32 of the first quarter. Doherty gave Notre Dame the lead with a goal at 6:54. It lasted just over a minute.

Medjid scored at 5:48 and 4:31 to put the Irish in front for good, 3-2. Smith converted from the 8-meter, and Medjid hit a steaking Courtney Weeks with four ticks remaining in the frame to put the Eagles in front 5-2.

BC kept rolling in the second frame. Martello scored on a feed from Smith at 13:27 of the second quarter and converted a free position shot to cap a 6-0 run that gave the Eagles a 7-2 lead at 11:36.

Kasey Choma broke up the run, but the Eagles stayed hot. Cassidy Weeks put a free position shot in the upper-right corner of the net at 6:32 and scored on an underhanded shot at 5:35, expanding BC’s lead to 9-3.

A Jackie Wolak goal 25 seconds later cut the deficit to five, but Medjid scored in transition as the Eagles took a 10-4 advantage before halftime.

BC carried the momentum into the second half, with McKenna Davis and Annabelle Hasselbeck burying free-position goals. Davis had a chance to score on another 8-meter at 7:28 of the third quarter, instead passing it off to Ryan Smith for a 13-4 lead.

Smith got the clock running when she took a feed from Sophia Taglich and scored with 6:16 left in the third quarter. She struck again at 4:56, capping a 6-0 run and giving the Eagles a 15-4 advantage.

It was the third meeting between the two Notre Dame and Boston College, including the second in a postseason in a month. Boston College also bounced Notre Dame from the ACC semifinals with a 9-4 win on April 28.

BC will play another familiar foe — Syracuse — in the Final Four on Friday, May 26. The Eagles came from behind to end the Orange’s bid for a perfect season in April, claiming the top seed for the conference tournament, which they eventually won.

“It’s great. The goal every year is to go to the Final Four and win it all. We’re pumped about it.”