Elizabeth Miller was surprised by a congratulatory text from her mom on May 1.

Miller, the Boston College junior defender, had been named the ACC Defender Player of the Year.

“It was posted on Twitter and my mom saw it,” Miller said. “It was cool.”

Miller was shocked to receive the award, but she’s proven in her third season as a starter that she is a dominant defender for one of the best defenses in the country. Boston College is seventh in the nation in scoring defense after allowing only 9.23 goals per game.

“Our defense is so locked in and so experienced,” said Eagles coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. “They’re all back from last year. Elizabeth has just been a superstar. She is led by Carly Bell, who doesn’t get as much praise but is the senior leader back there. Elizabeth is following along and mastering her role and playing really good 1v1 defense. Miller and Carly, Brooke Troy and Christina [Walsh], they’re all doing a great job.”

Miller is third on the team and leads all Eagles defenders with 18 caused turnovers, including three in Boston College’s 12-11 overtime win over Stony Brook in last Saturday’s NCAA tournament quarterfinal. She’s also fourth on the team in draw controls with 39, and among team leaders with 29 ground balls.

“It was definitely a huge honor, especially with all the hard work I put in, and I know there are a lot of other capable defenders and goalies that could have gotten that award,” Miller said. “I try to keep humble and working hard to live up to that recognition.”

Miller was the primary defender matched up on Stony Brook’s two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist Kylie Ohlmiller, though the Eagles threw some wrinkles in that had others covering her as well. Ohlmiller still finished with five points, but the Eagles forced her to work hard for every point.

“Elizabeth was insane,” Walker-Weinstein said. “She was so good. She was so aggressive. She didn’t sit back. She played her aggressively. There was a very dominant presence the entire game from Elizabeth. It was so fun to prepare for that matchup. They’re both superstars, so it’s always fun.”

Miller and the 21-1 Eagles face another huge challenge Friday night in the second semifinal of the NCAA tournament at Stony Brook when they face 20-1 Maryland, who beat them last year for the NCAA championship, 16-13.

“Of course you’re going to think a little about we were so close and now we have to beat Maryland,” Miller said. “You can’t compare it. They’re not the same team, and we’re not the same team we were last year. You have to have that same mentality coming at them. We have to give them all we’ve got.”

Boston College has great balance with an attack that is 11th in the country in scoring, a terrific draw control led by Sam Apuzzo and Dempsey Arsenault, and then the oft-times overlooked defense.

“On the defensive side, we all played last year together so we got to gel,” Miller said. “This year, we really found our footing as a whole unit.”

That togetherness was a key in holding down a Stony Brook team that played without another of its top scoring threats – Ohlmiller’s sister, Taryn – due to a knee injury.

“We just played so well together as a unit and that’s what helped us in the end to play so well against Stony Brook,” Miller said. “Of course our offense had an amazing day too. For our defense, working together, having each other’s backs whenever someone got beat or missed a step, that’s what really held us in there and we were able to come up with big stops. It’s just having each other’s backs and playing as a unit instead of as individuals.”

Boston College needed its defense to play well. It was just their second win of the season when scoring less than 13 goals. Maryland presents another opponent with good balance across the field, and the Eagles know that they’ll have play better than a year ago.

“We have to stop all the players on the field, not just focusing on the top players,” Miller said. "There’s always going to be someone that steps up on the other team when one of their top players isn’t having the best day. We have to do a better job of shutting down whoever steps up because there’s always going to be someone to pop up that you’re not expecting to have a great game.”

Miller matched up on Tewaaraton finalist Megan Whittle in the championship last year. Whittle finished with three points on two goals and an assist. Miller relishes the chance to match up with the best attackers.

“When we say to her originally, 'You’re going to be her matchup,' you cannot even imagine how intense this kid is, and how cerebral she is,” Walker-Weinstein said. “She’s the smartest player, so intense. She takes challenges and matchups so seriously. She strives to be really good in everything she does. She loves it. She loves a challenge like that.”

Said Miller: “I get really excited just to be able to find out who they’re going to match me up on and be able to play them throughout the entire week. Our scout teams really help me out with preparing for those players. It makes it real to know who you’re supposed to be marking. You prep all week for it. It’s really exciting to find out who you’re going to play. It doesn’t matter if they’re the best player in the country. No matter what, they’re going to be a good player if they’re on the field.”

Boston College has been using Miller’s tools to match up with top players since she came to the Eagles after making four Connecticut state finals and winning three of them. The Eagles put the former high school midfielder on defense and on the draw.

“I love being on the draw circle,” Miller said. “It’s really fun to fight for possession of the ball. It’s really exciting because the draw is what I think wins the game. It gives you possession. If you can get the ball and have that first advantage with getting it on your attacking side, and having the ability to score off that, that’s really going to change the swing of the game. It’s an exciting part of the game, and I’m really glad I can be a part of that.”

Walker-Weinstein says that Miller is a perfect piece to put on the draw with the new rules. No one on the Eagles' roster has a faster starting burst than Miller, which also helps her defend against strong, quick players.

“Throughout my time here, I’ve been assigned some of the top players,” Miller said. “Freshman year, I’d have to faceguard a lot of the best players. Last year and this year, it’s been less faceguard and more straight matchup. It’s still the same excitement and you still prepare the same way because it’s still a great player you’re going to be matched up with.”

Miller has been trustworthy since the day she came in, and Boston College has seen her confidence and abilities soar during the last three years.

“She’s really different now,” Walker-Weinstein said. “She always had really good footwork. She’s very smart. She understands the concepts of our defense. My defensive coordinator throws a lot at these girls and expects them to be thinking at a really high level and a fast pace. Miller understands concepts very well. She can dissect a play pretty well when something goes right or something goes wrong. She’s good at helping her teammates. She knows Carly is the senior captain and she follows in her footsteps.”

The Eagles defense has been preparing all week for its challenge of holding down Maryland for the chance to avenge last year’s finals loss and reach this year’s championship game.

“The biggest difference going into this weekend is Maryland’s depth,” Walker-Weinstein said. “They have seven incredible threats as starters. Then they have girls coming in out of the box. It’s not going to be such a focus on one person. We have to have everyone take their matchups as seriously as Elizabeth and Carly do, and we’re going to have to stop seven to nine Maryland girls.”