The Boston University women’s soccer team concluded their non-conference season Thursday night against Dartmouth College with a 2-1 overtime comeback victory at Nickerson Field.
‘We showed a lot of mental fortitude,’ BU coach Nancy Feldman said. ‘This one was for the seniors, coming out and getting a win. It is a turning point in our season.’
The seniors got their first win against Dartmouth, a team they had previously gone 0-1-2 against.
Down one at the end of the first half, the Terriers (4-4-2) picked up the pace in the second half, scoring a goal of their own to force overtime. BU did not need much time in the extra period before senior Emily Pallotta headed home the game winner from a cross by classmate Mara Osher.
Dartmouth (3-4-0) opened the scoring in the 27th minute when sophomore Aly O’Dea fired the ball into the lower left corner of the net from a pass by senior Myra Sack. O’Dea now has a team leading three goals this season.
BU outshot Dartmouth 3-2 in the first half, with both of their shots on target.
‘We looked tired in the first half,’ Feldman said. ‘They outhustled us and they hustled us off the ball in the first half. We were getting bumped off the ball and they were beating us to the loose balls. They were picking up our passes because we were too slow.’
The Terriers came out of the locker room rejuvenated and were the better team for the remainder of the game.
Junior midfielder Shauna Kelleher evened up the game for the Terriers in the 60th minute. On somewhat of a fluky goal, Kelleher headed in a deflected shot by junior Corie Halasz, past Big Green goalkeeper Colleen Hogan.
Even more important than the goal might have been the job Kelleher did on the defensive side of the ball.
‘Shauna Kelleher eliminated the player that makes Dartmouth go [Myra Sack],’ Feldman said. ‘She really shut her down and gave her no time or space. She did a lot of the dirty work this game.’
Kelleher played the entirety of the game and led the Terriers offensively with a goal and two shots on net.
The Terriers only needed two minutes of extra time to improve their record to .500 for the season. Osher sent a cross into the box where fellow Pallotta was there to head in her first goal of the year to give BU the comeback win.
‘Emily really wanted this one and she dugged [sic] in,’ Feldman said. ‘Osher had a heck of a game in the back. She is a great attacking player in the back and her defense was really strong. It was great to see her get that assist. This was a huge confidence boost. We got our mojo back and it takes a lot of strong minded kids to do that.’
One such strong-minded player was sophomore midfielder Brittany Heist. Feldman substituted her in for freshman Megan McGoldrick to deal with the physicality of Dartmouth.
‘[The Big Green’s] strength is in their [physical] strength,’ Feldman said. ‘Heist was physically strong enough and dynamic [tonight]. She gave us a lift.’
Senior Janie Reilly (three saves) had another solid outing in net, picking up her third win of the season. She made two crucial saves toward the end of the second half to keep the game knotted at one.
‘Reilly was aggressive and came off her line well tonight,’ Feldman said. ‘She was sharp when she had to be. She is always focused during the game.’
BU outshot Dartmouth 9-6 and is now 4-0 at Nickerson Field.
Despite recent struggles to score goals on the road, the Terriers have shown they can compete and win against teams outside their conference. Last night’s win against Dartmouth, a team who beat once-nationally ranked West Virginia, is an appropriate way to conclude non-conference play and can be used as a stepping stone for what could be a very successful season.
BU starts conference play against Binghamton University on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m at Nickerson Field.
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