Canes soar past Eagles as time expires

Redshirt sophomore Jackie Koerwitz scored Miami's game-winning goal against Boston College on Oct. 2, 2021. Photo credit: Twitter, @CanesFutbol
Redshirt sophomore Jackie Koerwitz
Redshirt sophomore Jackie Koerwitz scored Miami's game-winning goal against Boston College on Oct. 2, 2021. Photo credit: Twitter, @CanesFutbol

It looked as if Miami was heading to overtime for the fourth time this season.

Redshirt sophomore Jackie Koerwitz had other plans.

When the Hurricanes (4-6, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) were awarded a free kick off a Boston College yellow card, only 13 seconds remained. Miami goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais booted the ball into the Eagles’ penalty box, where chaos ensued.

After a few deflections, the ball landed by Miami junior Maria Jakobsdottir, who struck the ball towards the end line. Sophomore Katerina Molina took off, stopping the ball from rolling out of bounds and whacking it towards the middle of the box with five seconds left on the clock.

An Eagle defender next tried to clear it away, but the ball went directly to Koerwitz, who launched a blistering shot into the upper right corner as time ran out. The 6-foot-1 midfielder captured Miami’s 1-0 win over Boston College (6-5-1, 0-4 ACC) Saturday night.

“It’s the football equivalent of a Hail Mary,” Miami head coach Sarah Barnes said. “The biggest thing is Kat Molina chasing that ball down, not allowing it to go over the end line for a goal kick. Taylor [Shell] was in there pressuring. Even though they got a clear, they didn’t get a good one because she fought so hard to try to score that goal. That set it up for Jackie to be able to smash the ball with her left foot into the goal. It was an incredible finish. It took a lot of people. This game, all 26 people were so invested, so committed to the team’s performance. The effort was outstanding.”

The Canes’ road win came after a disappointing homestead where they lost four of five. But Miami’s recent struggles momentarily faded away after the game, as players rushed the pitch to relish in the victory.

“It was honestly surreal,” Koerwitz said. “I couldn’t believe that it happened. I was speechless just to be a part of something like that. To be the one to finish it was super awesome. I’ll probably never forget it for the rest of my life. It’s my favorite goal ever, my favorite game ever. I’m just excited to keep the momentum going for ACC play.”

This was Miami’s first conference shutout since 2018 and its fourth victory in the all-time series against the Eagles. UM had also garnered its first-ever win versus Boston College in Newton, Massachusetts, in a hard-fought game throughout, with Miami garnering six shots on goal to the Eagles’ eight.

Boston College’s best opportunity came in the 65th minute when forward Sam Smith fired a shot at the edge of the box, yet Dagenais dove right and knocked the ball away.

The main disparity was fouls, however, which directly led to the Eagles’ downfall. The Canes racked up five while Boston College tripled that, with 15.

Up next, Miami travels to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face Wake Forest on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.