The 2021 national champions are still rolling.

No. 1 Boston College took down No. 4 Northwestern 18-9 in its season opener on Saturday, securing its 34th consecutive win at home and kicking off the season with a top-five win.

“It was a great feeling,” coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. “I was proud of our team, proud of how the defense really stepped up and took it to a very good offensive team, having to stop some really dynamic players.”

The Eagles’ starting lineup featured a strong returning core from its national championship team. Ten of Saturday’s starters also started last year’s title game, a sign of the dynamic talent that came back to Chestnut Hill. Walker-Weinstein said these returners create security on the field, allowing the team to take risks.

Key to the Eagles’ success was their show-stopper defense. BC held the Wildcats — the top scoring offense in the NCAA in 2021 that won’t have top scorer Izzy Scane this season due to an ACL injury — to just nine goals. Senior attacker Lauren Gilbert, one of the NCAA’s top scorers in 2021, had just one goal. Senior goalkeeper Rachel Hall anchored the defense, recording eight saves. She was supported by an experienced unit of returners, including graduate student Melanie Welch, sophomore Sydney Scales, junior Hollie Schleicher and sophomore Hunter Roman.

“They get no credit, and they’re absolute beasts,” Walker-Weinstein said of the defense. “They’re so good at what they do. For so long, the offense gets so much of the credit, but our defense is so dynamic and stable and so consistent. They’re the backbone of our team and work so unselfishly together.”

Graduate student defender Courtney Taylor had a breakout game in her first contest with the Eagles, notching five ground balls and two draw controls. Taylor, a 2021 third-team IWLCA All-American at Temple, has brought “so much depth” to the Eagles’ defensive unit, Walker-Weinstein said.

Charlotte North anchored the Eagles’ offense in typical fashion, featuring plenty of crafty stick work, skilled dodging and powerful shooting. She led the attack with seven goals, and sophomore midfielder Belle Smith and senior attacker Caitlynn Mossman each chipped in three of their own.

The Eagles commanded the game from the start, notching three goals less than three minutes into the matchup. They never trailed. The Wildcats came within three goals during the third quarter, but they couldn’t stage a comeback. Walker-Weinstein credited her defense’s ability to stick to and execute the game plan as key to keeping Northwestern at arm’s length.

Dominating on the draw also played a central role in the Eagles’ victory. BC won 19 draws to NU’s 10 — steadily handling a unit that led the country in draw controls per game in 2021. North controlled 12 on her own and won the first three of the game, directly leading to that early 3-0 lead.

While the Eagles and the Wildcats have both etched their names into the NCAA record books, Saturday was only their third-ever meeting and first since 2019. Walker-Weinstein said BC especially enjoyed the challenge of playing the Wildcats, another 2021 final four team, saying it’s what makes the program better.

“Any opportunity you have to play the best in the game, that’s what we wait for,” Walker-Weinstein said. “That’s what we love.”

NUMBERS OF NOTE

16

William & Mary goalie Elise Palmer recorded 16 saves in her debut, good for fifth highest all-time among Tribe players. Four of those saves came in the final 9 minutes, playing a central role in the Tribe’s narrow 14-13 win over Villanova.

204

Notre Dame graduate attacker Maddie Howe eclipsed 200 career points this weekend, reaching the milestone with four goals and an assist against Central Michigan Friday and an assist against Michigan on Sunday. Howe now ranks seventh all time in career points at Notre Dame.

47

Duke’s offense lit up over the weekend, scoring 22 goals against Gardner-Webb on Friday and 25 versus Elon on Sunday. Sophomore attacker Katie DeSimone led the team with 13 goals on the weekend, followed by graduate midfielder Catriona Berry with nine.

6

Florida defeated Kennesaw State on Saturday, powered by six goals and two assists from freshman attacker Emma LoPinto. She now holds the record for the most goals scored by a Florida player in a season opener in program history and is tied for the record for most goals scored by a freshman.