Northeastern field hockey (5-5, 1-1 CAA) came away with a 3-2 loss against the No. 18 Boston College Eagles (4-6, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) after a close, high-energy game Oct. 5.

Freshman midfielder Hannah Simon and sophomore midfielder and forward Olivia Yelen both scored their first career goals against the cross-town rivals, with Yelen getting an assist from senior midfielder and defender Maya Prasad and graduate student midfielder and forward Lilly Smith. Graduate student goalkeeper Arabella Loveridge made seven saves.

Less than two minutes into the game, a Husky attacker’s stick hooked around the stick of a BC player, granting the Eagles a penalty shot. To block the shot, Loveridge fell backward and knocked the ball away with her foot.

Two minutes later, the Eagles’ second shot of the game went wide.

Junior captain, midfielder and forward Alex Mega ran the ball close to the midline and made a fast pass past a defender and another player who tried to intercept, but no Huskies were there to receive the ball. In this and other games, Mega’s stick skills let her keep the ball while she ran faster than most of her opponents.

Five minutes in, BC showed off its attacking prowess when a player hit a reverse into the goal. Loveridge was standing on the right side of the goal, and the ball hit the left corner of the net to put the Eagles up 1-0.

The Eagles played hard from beginning to end, like when a player slid forward on her knees to stop the ball from rolling out of bounds shortly after the team’s first goal.

The Huskies knew how strong of a team Boston College is, so senior forward Emilia Adragna said they came prepared to fight.

“We weren’t going to let anything go through us, and we were very gritty in there,” Adragna said. “Super intense game. We left everything out there.”

Graduate student midfielder and forward Laine Ambrose sent a long pass to freshman midfielder Jessica Garden, who quickly turned the reception into a shot on goal. But the shot was slow and far away enough that a BC defender batted it away.

Now in possession, an Eagle hit a fast pass down the middle of the field to get the ball back on Northeastern’s side, but Prasad made an impressive interception.

Senior forward Emmy Stubbs gridlocked over the ball at the sideline, and a BC foul gave Northeastern the ball.

BC nearly scored when several of its players, with one in possession, ran right up to the goal, but several Northeastern defenders joined them and formed a mass of players fighting over the ball. Senior defender Tori Postler came away with it.

Once the ball was back on BC’s side, an Eagle stole the ball and tried to run it to Northeastern’s side, but Prasad made such a deep block tackle to stop the ball that she was briefly on all fours.

With six minutes left on the clock, Loveridge kicked away another shot on goal.

Another minute later, the Eagles earned a corner. Husky defenders rushed the shooter in time to block the ball right in front of her.

Once Prasad had the ball, she ran it down the right line only for an Eagle to run up and attempt a block tackle. With the Eagle bent forward to block, Prasad ran into her, tripped and rolled over her back onto the ground.

Northeastern’s closest move to a shot on goal in this quarter was a pass that rolled in front of the goal, and BC’s goalkeeper ran up to kick it away. A BC player took possession shortly after and ran down the field to Northeastern’s almost-empty half, but Postler kept up with her and forced her back, where Northeastern stole.

In the scoreless second quarter, the Huskies did a better job of finding opportunities to get the ball past the midfield.

An Eagle sent a great pass through Northeastern’s defense that rolled in front of the goal, but Loveridge ran forward to kick the ball away before BC could receive it.

Senior midfielder and defender Anna-Kate Domingue sent a strong pass to Stubbs, and Stubbs ran it through the midfield and kept control of the ball even as multiple Eagles put pressure on her.

Northeastern earned a corner with 11 minutes left in the half, inserted by senior defender and midfielder Ashley Pappas. Adragna set up for a powerful shot, but she missed the ball, and BC took advantage of her miss to steal it.

Ambrose took the ball and controlled it well around the quarter line, getting it around tight defense. One defender tripped trying to take the ball from her.

The third quarter was the most consequential, with Northeastern tying up the score and BC pulling ahead shortly afterward.

First, Adragna hit a shot on goal that went wide to the left.

Northeastern’s equalizing shot came seven minutes in. The Huskies were passing the ball close to the goal, and the BC goalkeeper ran out to kick it away. Before she could, Simon quickly pulled the ball around her and scored. 

“The way we attacked, when we attacked together, was beautiful,” head coach Pam Spuehler said.

Smith received a green card shortly afterward for a dangerous play foul, taking her out of play for two minutes.

Nine minutes in, Loveridge blocked a corner penalty shot by the Eagles. In their subsequent corner penalty, the Eagle who received the insert passed it too slowly to the shooter, so a Husky defender had plenty of time to run in and intercept.

But BC pulled ahead with a tip into the goal with three minutes left in the quarter. Another minute later, they earned another point with a penalty corner shot.

“It was a hard loss,” Adragna said.

BC did not score in the final quarter, thanks in large part to Northeastern’s defense. Spuehler said the defenders are doing the “hard work” of intercepting the ball, and now the team will work on parlaying those interceptions into attack opportunities. She also said that the defense succeeded in limiting BC’s opportunities to enter the circle.

When the Eagles did make it into the circle, they earned a corner, one of two in the final quarter. Loveridge blocked the shot with her shin, and the ball bounced straight into the air.

After Northeastern’s game against Holy Cross Sept. 8, Spuehler said that one of the team’s goals was giving up fewer penalty corners. But Holy Cross earned seven penalty shots in that game, and the Huskies’ opponents have averaged 6.4 penalty shots per game since. The Eagles also earned seven.

With six minutes left in the game, the Huskies scored their final point. Prasad made a strong hit toward the goal, and a quick pass from Smith to Yelen got the ball around the defenders fast enough for Yelen to score.

Spuehler said Simon and Yelen were able to score because they know the best place to be at the right time.

BC earned its last corner with four minutes left but failed to capitalize.

“I’m unbelievably pleased with the team, the way we showed up today,” Spuehler said. “It should give us belief going into our upcoming conference games that we’re able to play at a high standard.”

The Huskies will play the University at Albany (7-3, 1-0 American East Conference) on the Great Danes’ home turf in Albany, New York, Oct. 12 at noon.