TUCSON, Arizona — Michael Spence (Jr., San Francisco, Calif.) scored four times, including three in the decisive second half, as No. 15-ranked/New England Division Champion Boston College overcame a 6-3 halftime deficit to down Atlantic Division runner-up Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) by an 11-8 final score in the first consolation game at the 2018 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship on the campus of the University of Arizona.
Courtesy the victory, the Eagles can finish no lower than 12th in the 16-team championship field. Boston College will continue its participation at the event at 1:40 p.m. against the winner of a consolation game between No. 12/Mid-Atlantic Division Champion Villanova University and No. 18/Northwest Division Champion Oregon State University. The winner of the Boston College/Villanova or Oregon State game will compete in the Ninth Place game on Sunday, November 11, at 2:15 p.m.
Trailing 6-3 at halftime as Virginia Tech outscored Boston College 2-1 and 4-2 in the first and second quarters, respectively, the Eagles began to soar back into the game as Scott Singer (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) drilled in back-to-back shots with 6:14 and 5:21 on the third quarter clock to move within 6-5. Spence polished off the Hokies’ lead at the 4:46 mark to even the score at six-all before Jack Klingler (Fr., Newport Beach, Calif.) and Omar John (So., St. John’s, Antigua) swished shots at 3:57 and 3;28, respectively, to provide Boston College an 8-6 lead. It marked the first time in the game the Eagles led.
Virginia Tech snapped the Eagles’ five-goal outburst as Jake Tiss (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) put away a shot at 3:02 to set the scoreboard at 8-7 in favor of B.C. entering the fourth quarter.
Boston College sealed the win in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter as Spence (6:49, 4:52) and Carter Dwyer (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio) (4:11) ticked off back-to-back-to-back even-strength strikes to make it an 11-7 game. Wyatt Fulle (Fr., Los Angeles, Calif.) closed out the game by hitting the twine with 30 seconds left to establish the 11-8 final score.
For Boston College, Singer and John both added pairs of markers with Dwyer, Klingler and Duncan Rowland (Sr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) chipping in solo tallies. Goalie Tyler Dubiel (Jr., Pleasanton, Calif.) took the win with six saves.
Fulle led the way for Virginia Tech with three goals. Youssef Elsebai (Jr., Egypt) notched two scores with Brian Daly (Sr., Fairfax, Va.), Andrew Siemon (Sr., Mechanicsburg, Pa.) and Jake Tiss (Sr., Chantilly, Va.) each racking up solo markers. Jarid Bowen (Sr., Centreville, Va.) made 10 saves in taking the loss.
The defeat drops Virginia Tech into a 13th/15th place game at 8;40 p.m. on Saturday, November 10, against the loser of the Villanova-Oregon State consolation game. The loser of Virginia Tech’s next game will tie for 15th in the final standings, while the winner ties for 13th as the 13th and 15th place games are not played out due to pool availability and limited time.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Boston College | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | – | 11 |
| Virginia Tech | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | – | 8 |
| Virginia Tech Goals: | Wyatt Fulle (3); Youssef Elsebai (2); Andrew Siemon; Jake Tiss; Brian Daly | |||||
| Boston College Goals: | Michael Spence (4); Scott Singer (2); Omar John (2); Jack Klingler; Carter Dwyer; Duncan Rowland | |||||
| Saves: | Virginia Tech – Jarid Bowen (10) ; Boston College – Tyler Dubiel (6) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Virginia Tech – 4 ; Boston College – 5 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Virginia Tech – 3-for-5 ; Boston College – 1-for-4 | |||||
| Sprints: | Virginia Tech – 2-for-4 (2nd, 3rd) ; Boston College – 2-for-4 (1st, 4th) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | John Rightmyer, Mike McMahon | |||||
Boston College’s Andrew Wilson
Boston College’s bench celebrates a goal
