In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Boston Storm were able to get by the Philadelphia Force 13-10, avenging for their loss in the final game of the regular season.
Bre Hudgins (Brown) scored three goals for the Storm. Kayla O’Connor (Boston College), Hannah Murphy (UMass), and Kate Weeks each scored twice. Weeks, who recently graduated from Boston College, was playing in just her second career pro contest.
“I drove up here with [Baltimore’s] Sarah Mannelly and [Long Island’s] Mikhaela Rix, who are BC girls too,” Weeks said. “It’s great to see them play again. I love being able to see them play again. It’s weird playing against Zoe [Ochoa] too.”
Weeks and O’Connor, who were members of the Eagles team that made an unexpected run to the NCAA championship game in May, faced their former teammate, Ochoa, who was in net for the Force.
“Weeks joined us last week, so it’s cool to see her back on the field,” O’Connor said. “In Zoe’s first game against Philly, it was good to see her and cheat on her, we had a special bond with that and connection so it was good to play against her and have a special connection.”
Both late-season reinforcements, Weeks and O’Connor have helped the Storm bounce back after a rough start to the season, infusing some of the energy that led Boston College to its first final four.
Bre Hudgins (Brown) scored three goals in the Boston Storm's 13-10 upset of the Philadelphia Force in the UWLX semifinals Saturday at Harvard.
The Storm had led 13-7 with only three minutes left, but the Force cut the deficit to three with a 2-point goal late. It wasn’t enough to extend Philadelphia’s season. Jackie Chirco played in net and made four saves for Boston.
Murphy also won 10 draw controls, as the Storm dominated possession. It was an upset for Boston, which is now 2-4, while the Force fell to 4-2.
Boston now faces Long Island, which defeated the Storm in both previous meetings this season, 10-9 on June 9 and 14-11 on July 20.