Women’s soccer benefits from goalkeeper rotation

With the graduation of All-Patriot League Second Team goalkeeper Andrea Green, the Boston University women’s soccer team will need another solid presence in front of its net in order to achieve success in its second foray in the Patriot League.

So far, the goalkeeping situation has been a split affair, with both senior Alyssa Parisi and sophomore Bridget Conway seeing time on the pitch this season. Parisi has started four games this season, registering a .750 save percentage and a 1.10 goals-against average. In three games, including two starts, Conway has compiled a .857 save percentage and a 0.40 goals-against average.

For BU coach Nancy Feldman, depth at any position is a good problem to have for her squad.

“They both have come into this season without a lot of game experience, just because we had Andrea Green playing the last two years – most of the minutes,” Feldman said. “They’ve both been doing really well in training. We have two other goalkeepers on the roster, and they’re freshmen, and they’ve got some bright futures, but [Parisi] and [Conway] seem to be…the most seasoned of the four.

“Early in the season, we’re giving them both opportunities to get game experience and to prove themselves in the game. We’re a stronger team if we have the ability to have positions…Right now, neither of them have grabbed and held on to the position outright, but that doesn’t mean that neither of them aren’t doing a good job…We just want to see them continue to improve and get better.”

Freshmen already making strides this season

The Terriers’ success this season may rely on the performances of their veterans on the pitch, but the team’s younger set of players are already making their presence felt.

Freshmen defenders Alivya Wimmer and Erin Neville have already been given significant minutes in the backfield with Neville recording her first career assist against Boston College in a 2-1 score on Aug. 21.

Freshman forward Christina Wakefield has been a boost to BU’s offense, scoring one of the team’s seven goals this season against the Eagles (6-1) while appearing in all six games this season.

Feldman said she has been pleased with the showing that her freshman class has put forth this season but also added that there still is room to improve.

“Alivya Wimmer and Christina Wakefield have got some game minutes and have done a good job with it and the other gals are not far away…They’re starting to really get up to game speed,” Feldman said. “Both Christina and Alivya in particular have played some significant minutes and both have done a really good job, and it’s always a bonus when you can get some freshmen that are contributing.”

BU’s impressive home streak comes to an end against San Francisco

The friendly confines of Nickerson Field have provided a big boost to the Terriers over the years. After falling to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on Sept. 14, 2012 in a 1-0 home decision, BU reeled off 16 wins in a row at Nickerson until the University of San Francisco bested the Terriers 1-0 on Sunday.

While Feldman acknowledged that it was tough to see BU’s undefeated home streak come to an end, she remained hopeful that her team can quickly start a new run at home right away.

“We like to make Nickerson our own little house of horrors for other teams, and we are prideful about winning our games at home, and we feel like we can take advantage of being home,” Feldman said. “It was unfortunate yesterday that San Francisco got the better of us, but I guess we’ll just have to start a new streak. It’s something we set as a goal every year, and now, since we’ve allowed a loss on Nickerson, I guess our goal now is not allowing another loss on Nickerson and get that streak going again.

“We feel comfortable here. We want to make it a real tough place for people to play, but we have to back that up, and we have to, from start to finish, defend our turf.”