Freshman forward Jack Burridge sat at midfield listening to his coach and gazing at the post-game student bonfire in the distance.
That fire was all too appropriate given Fairfield’s sweltering comeback in front of 826 fans at Lessing Field on Tuesday night. Boston College, however, narrowly escaped with a 2-1 victory.
The loss moves Fairfield’s overall record to 3-5 on the season, with a 3-4 record in out-of-conference games. The Eagles, on the other hand, improve to 5-4-1 on the year.
The Eagles quickly broke through with a goal by Edvin Worley just four minutes into the game. From that point forward, Boston College dominated time of possession and the tempo of the first half of the game.
Collectively, the Stags managed only one shot on goal in the first half.
The second half was a drastically different story, mainly because of halftime adjustments in the team’s defense as the difference.
‘We needed to meet them higher at the field,’ said head coach Carl Rees. ‘Our starting position as defenders needed to be tighter on the ball. I thought that we needed to be collectively more assertive.’
That aggressive style, though, initially backfired for Fairfield. ‘ ‘ ‘
After midfielder Tucker Nathans missed the net wide right thirty-three seconds into the half, the Eagles reversed the field and Eagles’ midfielder Jeremiah Gallington scored on a misplayed ball by senior goalkeeper Justin Burse to extend their lead to 2-0.
Despite the setback, the Stags maintained up-field pressure and appeared to break through at 24:48 into the half, when a pass from junior Christian Uy sailed towards the Boston College zone and deflected off the head of senior forward Aldo Hope and into the net.
The referee, however, quickly intervened and disallowed the goal due to a push violation against Burridge.
‘Apparently, the official said that I climbed above the defender,’ Burridge said. ‘But, at the time, I was away from the defender. I don’t know why he called that.’
The Stags’ increased pressure finally paid dividends on a penalty kick from Burridge thirty-five minutes into the second half. Burridge kicked to the open left side of the net as Brown mistakenly dove right.
The referees awarded Burridge a penalty kick after Boston College goalkeeper Chris Brown illegally slid into him outside of the keeper’s box on a breakaway.
Despite several near chances in the game’s final seconds, Boston College was able to clear the ball and hold on for a narrow victory.
In spite of the first half struggles, head coach Carl Rees was thrilled with his team’s effort.
‘If we can do that to an ACC team, than our lads should be pleased with that,’ Rees said. ‘They proved to themselves that they can compete with any team.” ‘ ‘
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