Freshman Corey Halasz stiff arms a defender during last night's 1-0 victory over Maine at Nickerson Field. Sarah GatzkeFarrell McClernon caught lightning in a bottle-again. Breaking a scoreless tie with under 20 minutes to go yesterday, the freshman’s second game-winner in three games vaulted No. 10 Boston University to a 1-0 victory over No. 22 University of Maine yesterday at Nickerson Field. The win caps off the Terriers’ home stand at 4-0, while handing the Black Bears their first loss of the season.
“We knew they were real good,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “We fought and battled for 90 minutes.”
The Terriers (9-2-1, 2-0-0 America East) scored the lone goal of the game at 71:23. Senior co-captain Lauren Erwin crossed the ball from the right to the center of the field, where McClernon weaved around two defenders, moving across the front of the box. She turned and fired a hard shot toward the right side of the net, sneaking the ball by the defender and goalkeeper Jasmine Phillips for the score.
“At halftime, I told the team to be more dynamic in the attacking third,” Feldman said. “Farrell got a spin and found a lane. She was aggressive about [the chance].”
With the goal, McClernon leads the team with five on the season, while the assist gave Erwin a team-leading five as well.
“If [McClernon] gets two chances, she’ll score on one,” Feldman said. “She doesn’t need that many chances. She is awfully confident.”
In the scoreless first half, each team had only a few good chances for a goal. In the 21st minute with the Terriers on the corner kick, senior Paula Moniz booted the ball toward the box, and three consecutive Terriers tried unsuccessful headers. The third header by freshman Casey Brown bounced off the goalkeeper for a second corner kick.
On the ensuing corner, Moniz fired another cross over everybody. The pass found Brown on the right side of the net, where the freshman ricocheted it off the lower-right post.
“We were a little passive,” Feldman said. “We needed to play faster. It was tough to get a good scoring opportunity.”
Maine (8-1-0, 0-1-0 AE) also had a good chance in the first half, coming in the 35th minute. The Black Bears’ Veronique Fleury dribbled the ball into the box, firing a point-blank shot on net. Terrier senior goalkeeper Stephanie Dreyer responded by deflecting the ball out of bounds for the save. On the following corner, Dreyer snatched the ball out of the air in front of two Maine forwards.
Fleury’s attempt was the only shot the Black Bears could muster on goal all game.
“I knew we were going to be strong in goal,” Feldman said of the team defense. “But we were playing three new players in the back. I didn’t expect them to do this well.”
In the second half, Maine made a few charges toward the net, especially after McClernon’s goal with 18 minutes to play. However, the Black Bears couldn’t put another shot on net for the rest of the game. As a result, Dreyer and the Terriers recorded their eighth shutout on the season.
“We stayed with it and put together a strong second half,” Feldman said. “We were disciplined and composed about keeping the lead.”
The Terriers now lead the America East with a 2-0 record. A good start in the conference schedule could set the tone for the rest of the season, leading up to the conference tournament in November.
“We played some great out-of-conference teams,” said McClernon. “But conference teams are gunning for you. This early in the schedule, everyone has a chance.”
Sunday, BU will travel to the University of Vermont for a 1 p.m. game. At 3-6-1, the Catamounts have only managed to score eight goals in 10 games this season. But even win Vermont’s low goal total, the Terriers still need to make a statement on the road.
“We need to be more dynamic in order to penetrate,” Feldman said. “We need to improve the attack and develop a good rhythm.”
