The Pack trumped the Boston College Eagles in Dail Soccer Stadium Friday night in the second overtime 2-1. The win gave the Pack its first ACC win of the year and took the team to 6-2-1(1-2-1 ACC), while dropping the Eagles to 5-5(1-2 ACC). Junior Tyler Lassiter scored both goals for the Pack, giving him his second game this year in which he scored two goals in one game.
The first half saw the Eagles get on the board early, with a penalty kick taken by Conor Fitzpatrick in the fifth minute putting the score at one nil. Ten minutes later a handball in the box gave the Pack a chance to tie the game, but redshirt senior Ronnie Bouemboue’s attempt was denied by Eagle’s goalie Justin Luthy, leaving the score 1-0 Boston College at half.
Half time saw a change in starting positions, as Lassiter moved from defender to left outside midfield, a spot that has had been temporarily filled by several different players due to injuries. The move proved to be very beneficial as Lassiter went on to break the Pack’s yearlong streak of missing penalty kicks when he put one into the net in the 64th minute. Lassiter said he stepped up to make sure the team did not miss another.
“I knew we hadn’t hit one [penalty kick] all year,” Lassiter said. “So I just tried to hit it hard and place it in the corner, hoping for the best.”
The Pack finally broke through in the second overtime when Lassiter scored his second goal of the day in the 102nd minute off a combo from Bouemboue to give the team the lead and victory.
Evan Matonis, a freshman in First Year College, thought the goal was pure textbook.
“The guys really connected there at the end,” Matonis said. “The team showed great teamwork throughout and it came through in the end.”
State’s offense kept the Eagle defense on their toes throughout the game. In the first half the Pack outshot Boston College six to four and in the second half and overtime it increased that deficit, attempting 13 shots on goal to Boston College’s three.
However, higher shot amounts usually leads to more offside penalties, which was the case for the Pack, who had five during the game. Assistant Head Coach Dan Popik did not believe this to be a major problem.
“Offsides are not that bad, it shows we’re looking forward, taking some risks, keeping the other team’s defense stretched a little bit,” Popik said.
Although the Pack took multiple shots, several opportunities were lost due to lack of organization. Popik says the team could have put the game away quickly but failed to do so.
“Our composure and finishing was not very good today,” Popik said. “They got an early penalty kick, we had several chances and finally put one in. But we came away with the win and that’s what’s important.”
