McDonnell Nets First Career Hat Trick as Terriers and Eagles Finish Deadlocked at 3-3

By Akshai Wadhwani        August 27, 2018

NEWTON, MA  –  When BU and BC met last year at Nickerson Field, the Eagles trotted away with a 4-0 rout in what was undoubtedly the most humiliating moment of the Terriers’ season.

BU apparently did not want that to happen again this year—at any cost.

Monday evening’s latest installment in the Scarlet-Crimson rivalry produced five second half goals, a hat trick hero, and 31 shots in 120 minutes of play. The match may also have produced some sore craniums, seeing as the first five goals of the game were all headers.

Junior forward Matt McDonnell put BU in the lead at the tail end of a mostly quiet first half, heading a ball from Toti Knutsson over BC goalkeeper Joe Fryatt for his first goal of the season. In the 53^rd minute, he struck again, heading home a cross from midfielder T.J. Butzke.

At 2-0, the Eagles responded fantastically. Terrier keeper William Bonnelyche faced a barrage of eight shots as the hosts pulled one back through Lasse Lehmann (the first goal of his career) before knotting affairs at 2-2 courtesy of Abe Bibas—both within a ten-minute passage of play, and both also with the use of their heads.

McDonnell appeared to have spoiled the comeback when he completed his hat trick – and his oncoming headache – by scoring from the near post with a header off a Knutsson free kick with nine and a half minutes left on the clock. Yet BC replied again, with Simon Enstrom netting the sixth goal of the game and the first to be achieved by use of the foot.

In twenty minutes of extra time, the crosstown rivals had their goalies to thank for preserving the deadlock.

Bonnelyche played savior first, pushing a headed effort from BC captain Joshua Forbes onto the crossbar in the 95^th minute; second half Eagle keeper Antonio Chavez Borrelli returned the favor in the 100^th when he denied Mana Chavali with a dive to his left.

Two extra time halves could not separate Terrier and Eagle, resulting in the first draw between the two teams since 1999—which, amazingly, also ended in a 3-3 scoreline. BU is now winless in the last six matchups.

Shot totals finished at 17-14 in favor of BC, with eight on target versus seven for the Terriers. The latter did dominate the corner flags, with six CK’s to the Eagles’ two.

As well as bagging his first career hat trick (and the first three-goal game by a BU player in almost a decade), McDonnell also set career highs in shots (eight), shots on goal (three), and in-game minutes (95). BC’s Enstrom followed him with four shots, three on frame. BU’s Austin D’Anna added two efforts to his name, while Chavali, Knutsson, Satchel Cortet, and Nicki Wieners all contributed additional shots for the Terriers. Bonnelyche finished with five saves.

Next Up: The Terriers make the short trip back to Nickerson Field to play UMass Lowell on Friday at 7 p.m.