No matter what you think will happen during the postseason, odds are, it'll be a different script.

No. 2 Boston College wasn't underestimating Princeton when the Tigers visited Alumni on Mother's Day for an NCAA 2nd round game, even if most of the media and fan base was.

The Tigers gave the Eagles everything they could handle, but in the end, BC showed its championship mettle, winning 21-16 in a wildly high scoring affair. Belle Smith led the way with five goals, but six different Eagles had a hat trick.

McKenna Davis had three goals and four assists while Rachel Clark, Andrea Reynolds, Emma LoPinto and Cassidy Weeks all potted three goals too.

BC (17-3) is now one win away from a 7th straight NCAA Final Four appearance. The Eagles will host unseeded Michigan in Newton on Thursday (5 PM) after the Wolverines stunned No. 7 Notre Dame in their 2nd round game.

"Coming into NCAA's, everyone is giving their best fight," Smith said postgame. "We expect a hard game every game. Credit to Princeton. They're a great team and they fought and we fought back."

BC led 6-3 in the first, but a late three-goal run for the Tigers quickly tied the game at 6-6. Rachel Clark scored with 17.8 left in the quarter to make it 7-6 after one. The normally stingy BC defense found itself in a bit of unknown territory with the early shootout.

The back-and-forth continued until Princeton made it a 9-9 game with seven minutes left in the half. Clark scored again with 5:52 to go to give BC a 10-9 lead. Then, in the final 28.3 seconds, the Eagles exploded for three rapid goals by Clark, Kayla Martello and an absolute top shelf laser from LoPinto on a feed from Smith for a little 13-9 cushion heading into halftime.

"It's so great to be surrounded by so much talent," said Davis. "It makes everyone else play better and want to be better for everyone else."

"Everyone's goals is because of every single person on the field," added Reynolds. "Sometimes it's one person, sometimes it's another, but it's all seven people working together (on offense) to make it happen."

This one felt like it was going to turn into the blowout many thought it would when Weeks, Smith and Davis all scored to push the lead to 16-9 with 11:49 left in the third. But, once again, Princeton had an answer in the form of a 4-0 run to make it a 16-13 game entering the fourth quarter.

The Eagles stepped on the gas again with goals for Weeks, Smith and a sick goal from LoPinto - similar to the one she had in the ACC title game - where she put a defender on skates at X, came around the cage and buried a shot. A Reynolds righty rip on the run made it 20-13 with nine minutes left. Princeton stayed alive with two straight goals before a dip-and-dunk on the crease by Davis following a sick off-hip save by Shea Dolce (10 saves).

"I think we were in a good mindset going into the game and the girls were really focused, I just think some of the differences in the scores and the plays...we just didn't keep our foot on the gas," said head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein when asked about having a long layoff. "We just sort of fluctuated in our focus and I think that was the issue."

The Tigers added one last goal in the final 30 seconds before BC;s bench hit the field to celebrate the big win.

Now, BC finds itself one home win away from heading back to the Final Four. It's a spot this team is used to being in, but it doesn't mean anyone is taking it for granted.

"One thing that's different for me is just, these seniors that I've been with the past few years, i just keep thinking about them every single day," said Davis. "I have one more year, but it's my last year with these girls and that's what I've thought about every day."

Before heading out of the press conference room, the girls had one more message for their loyal fan base ahead of Thursday.

"Pack the Newt!" all three of them said simultaneously.

(The full postgame press conference can be found here)