TOWSON, Md. — In the record book, Charlotte North stands alone. 

As a champion, she stands with a Boston College squad that finally reached the pinnacle.

The Boston College attacker broke the NCAA single-season goals record Sunday, scoring her 101st of the season on a free-position shot in the second half of the Eagles’ 16-10 win over Syracuse in the NCAA championship game at Towson’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.

That goal broke the previous record of 100 set by Stony Brook’s Courtney Murphy in 2016. They both played 21 games in their respective seasons.

Even with her name now in the record books, it barely registered for North after the game. Perhaps in the coming weeks she’ll reflect on the accomplishment, but in the aftermath, it was all about the title.

“I’m just thinking about this win today,” North said. “That’s all I’m thinking about. … We believed in each other and came out on top, and I’m so happy and so proud. It’s a credit to all my teammates. We were the best team.”
North, a Tewaaraton Award finalist, was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. There was no other choice, record or not.

With BC leading 12-9 just before the midpoint of the second half, North wound up for a free position from the first hash and beat Syracuse goalie Asa Goldstock to break the record.

North entered the game with 96 goals after she scored twice in the Eagles’ semifinal win over North Carolina to reach this point. By 16:39 left in the contest, she had already notched five goals in the title contest, as the Eagles continued to set the pace for the second half.

Even as she broke the record, and at the same time put the game out of reach for Syracuse, North said no one on the team made her aware or talked about her record-breaking tally at the time; it was all about the team.

“We were just focused the whole game,” North said. “We did a good job staying composed, biggest game of the year. We were just trying to stay locked in and put together a complete game.”

For the record-breaking goal to come on the 8-meter line, it was unsurprising; that’s where she’s been dominant for so long.

“She’s not immune to nerves and fear, but she could be up on the line [for] an 8-meter in a tie ball game and she’ll stick a corner where some kids freeze,” Boston College coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said earlier this season. “In those moments, Charlotte shows guts. That’s not something you can teach.”

It’s been a season full of records for North, a senior who transferred to BC from Duke after the 2018 season. Against Notre Dame in the quarterfinals, she broke Sam Apuzzo’s single-season school record of 103 points, and North has since shattered it. 

Before breaking the NCAA single-season goals record Sunday, North gave the Eagles a 12-8 lead — then its largest of the game — with 23:26 remaining. She curled around the left pipe and nailed a righty rip on the run to tie Murphy at 100. Syracuse scored once more before the Eagles scored their 13th tally, and North opened up a four-goal lead once more.

No other Division I player — male or female — has eclipsed 100 goals in a single season.

North wasn’t done after 101, either, netting her 102nd on a two-player up goal with 1:11 left in the game, slamming the door on the Eagles’ championship victory.

Other elements of North’s game continued to grow this season as well. Her work on the draw control was also key to the title run.

“Charlotte just started taking the draw last year, and she’s incredible at it,” said BC midfielder Hollie Schleicher, who won eight draws Sunday. North won four draws on her own as well.

North the record-breaking goal scorer will go down in the history books on her own, as the lone name next to 102, and at the top of the page.

What means more to her, though, and the Eagles as a whole, is her name being among 30-plus others listed on the roster that brought Boston College its first-ever championship.

“It’s a moment we’re gonna remember for the rest of our lives,”  North said. “It’s a culmination of what Acacia Walker has built here… This is for all the alums before, and for our team and coaches this year. It’s a testament to what the coaches have built here for so long.

“Not many people get a chance to live out their dream.”