Tuesday was the first day back from Fall Break, but the Eagles weren’t quite prepared, losing 1-0 to Yale at the Newton Campus Field. A penalty kick conversation by TJ Presthus proved the difference in a frustrating match for the Eagles coming off a confidence-boosting tie with Virginia.
It all came down to the 23rd minute penalty kick. With some chaos in the box, CJ Williams took down a Yale player near the penalty spot, and the referee immediately whistled for a foul, pointing to the spot. Williams protested from the ground, as Eagles goalkeeper Brennan Klein looked on, hands on his hips. TJ Presthus stood over the ball, waiting for the referee to blow his whistle as Klein bounced on the line, trying to fill the goal frame. Presthus went left, Klein stretched to make the save, and the ball smacked into the left post and into the net, giving Yale the 1-0 lead.
The Eagles tried to come back, but securing even a goal from this offense has been a struggle and, against Yale, the story continued. Despite having nine shots, the Eagles only forced Yale keeper Chris Edwards to make two saves. The Eagles had zero corner kicks in the first half, recording only two in the second and opting for trick players over simply whipping the ball in. The Eagles’ first shot came in the 43rd minute, with Jack Burkhardt sending a ball way over the top of the Yale net from attempting a shot from outside the 18-yard box.
Freshmen Xavier O’Neil, Marcos Dos Santos, and Alfie Hughes did their best to break through the defense, but often got caught with the ball at their feet, unable to find options inside the box. Without options, the attack fizzled, remaining on the periphery and allowing Yale to remain in their shape, comfortably defending.
For positives: the Eagles cleaned up their midfield after Yale scored, tightening up play by having Ted Cargill drop into the backline at moments to allow greater flexibility. Throughout the second half, Cargill could be spotted dropping into both a center back and left back role. The tandem of Cargill and Burkhardt pushed the play wide, with both holding midfielders demonstrating their distribution abilities.
With the center of the field secured, at least defensively, the question marks were the decision-making in the final third, and the inability to carve up the Yale defense. With few options open, the Eagles either drove to the touchline and lost the ball or passed backward, hoping to reset the play and find more options. Although they’re used to dealing with injuries, this is clearly a BC team missing Aidan Farwell and his creativity in the middle of the field.
A young team, the mentality adjustment in the second half was another positive. Putting a sloppy, frustration-filled first half behind them, the Eagles managed to transform their simmering frustration into productive forward movement. O’Neil had his say on the wing, right up until it came time to cross the ball. Alfie Hughes, still desperately searching for that first goal, found ways to create space in the center of the field. Dos Santos, once again appearing all over the field, demonstrated his ability to disrupt the opposition’s flow while creating chances for the Eagles.
One theme from this season has been the defense having to hold down the backline, but also attempting to jumpstart the offense. Mortiz Gundelach, freshman right back, played higher in the second half, helping to push the ball into Yale’s final third while preventing Yale from having a clean look at the Eagles goal. In the 89th minute, the ball fell to Gundelach, sitting on the edge of the six-yard box. Unfortunately, Yale keeper Edwards was alert, smothering Gunedlach’s attempt with little problem. The shot was the culmination of the Eagles’ frantic, every-player forward push.
But in a season of 1-0 games, the game could end one way: an Eagles free kick from just past the midfield line with 11 seconds left on the clock that found the head of Klein in the Yale box. Klein couldn’t get anything on the header, the ball bounced around, and the clock ran out as the Yale bench celebrated.
The Eagles (3-5-4) hit the road to take on Louisville (7-3-2) on Friday, October 13th at 7:00 pm. Perhaps the ominous Friday the 13th date will benefit the Eagles and allow them to get their first away and ACC win this year.
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