Their work was done. The cushion in the last couple minutes of the NCAA championship game not only allowed the achievement to fully sink in, but let their star player put a stamp on history, too.
Holding a five-goal lead on Syracuse, with its opponent down two players for the various infractions that had hindered it all day, Boston College spread the field and played keep-away, connecting on pass after pass as chants of, “Let’s go, Eagles!” rained down from the stands at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md.
There would be one more highlight. With little over a minute left, freshman Belle Smith caught a pass, waited a beat and then found standout Charlotte North cutting toward an open net that had been vacated by a desperate goalie. The Tewaaraton Award winner received the pass, stepped and fired, her NCAA single-season record 102nd goal.