Even though it has been a tough season so far for the Boston University women’s soccer team, senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi has been a bright spot.
In her fifth season, Parisi has stepped up as a leader for the Terriers (0-4-1), starting in all five games and saving 22 shots on goal in the process. She also owns an impressive .759 save percentage.
Most recently, she collected nine saves in BU’s game against Northeastern University, a career high. That performance earned her an honorable mention in the Patriot League’s weekly awards announced Tuesday.
Last season, Parisi started 20 of the Terriers’ 22 games, finishing with a 0.75 goals against average and a .770 save percentage. She led BU to its second consecutive Patriot League title following a 14-5-3 campaign.
Offense continues to struggle despite generating chances
No matter how stellar Parisi is in net, the Terriers will have trouble recording wins if they fail to generate more offense. After five games, BU coach Nancy Feldman’s squad has only registered two goals, while the Terriers have given up nine goals so far. Despite taking 50 shots, BU has not been able to capitalize on its opportunities.
One possible reason for the dearth of goals at this point in the season is the loss of many strikers in last year’s senior class. In 2014, 12 of the Terriers’ 34 goals came from Ana Cuffia, Taylor Krebs, Jamie Turchi and Katherine Lim, all of whom have graduated.
With those playmakers no longer with the team, the Terriers have relied heavily on the efforts of two seniors, forward Jenna Fisher and midfielder Clare Pleuler, who have taken 11 and seven shots this season, respectively.
Even though the offense has struggled out of the gate, expect Fisher and Pleuler to get the front line back into the form it maintained last season, when the Terriers finished second in the Patriot League in goals per game, averaging 1.55.
Freshmen display potential amidst winless start
A successful freshmen class could also feature in the solution to BU’s offensive woes.
Early on in the season, Feldman has relied heavily on several freshmen, with forward McKenna Doyle, midfielder Julianna Chen and defender Chelsea Churchill each playing in all five games to date. Chen has logged the sixth most minutes on the team, despite this being her first season with the Terriers. Freshmen defenders Pietra Sweeney and Dorrie Varley-Barrett have played significant time as well.
After the first few games of the season, it has been Doyle who has shown the most potential for the Terriers. She has been involved in both BU goals this season, assisting senior forward Rachel Blauner for a goal in the opening game against Boston College while registering a tally of her own in the Terriers’ latest game against Northeastern (5-1).
Led by Doyle, the freshmen class has the capability to carry a team that has stumbled out of the gate so far.
Nick is currently writing for the Boston Hockey Blog. In the past, he has served as associate sports editor, and has covered men's and women's cross-country, women's soccer, men's basketball, and men's lacrosse for the Daily Free Press. You can keep track of Nick's exciting life by following him on Twitter at @nikfraz14
