After playing in all 23 games in 2005 without scoring a goal, Lauren Basham has already injected some offense into the 2006 Boston University women’s soccer team. The junior forward scored twice Saturday to lead the No. 21 Terriers past Princeton University, 2-0.
“We did really well, considering the conditions and we had to wait a few hours,” goalie Stephanie Dreyer said. “It’s always tough on the road to deal with downtime. We really played well together.”
Consecutive days of rain forced the game to move from the on-campus field at Princeton to Mercer Community College, but BU didn’t seem to mind. Basham scored once in each half for the Terriers (2-1-0), with her first goal coming in the 30th minute. She was making a run toward the Princeton goal when senior Lauren Irwin fed her the ball and the junior pushed the ball into the right corner of the net for her first career collegiate goal.
“They were big,” BU coach Nancy Feldman said. “We need goals coming from different places. Lauren showed promise in the spring, and she seems ready to step into that role and be more of a force. The opportunity has presented itself, and with more playing time this fall, [Basham] will have a bigger role on game day.”
Basham doubled her goal total-and the Terrier lead-in the 61st minute when a pass from sophomore midfielder Marisha Schumacher-Hodge left Basham all alone with Princeton keeper Maren Dale. Basham calmly put it past Dale to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead.
BU senior goalie Stephanie Dreyer made two saves and picked up her third clean sheet in three games this season. For the game, BU outshot the Tigers, 9-5, and had four corners to Princeton’s two.
“[Dreyer] came out with a couple saves and took a ball off the attacker’s foot, which prevented almost a clean breakaway,” Feldman said. “She does well coming off her line and snuffed a lot of chances Saturday. If she had gotten there an instant later on some occasions there might have been a goal or two. She is one of the best goalkeepers around.”
Dreyer was a part-time starter for the Terriers for the last two seasons, but this year her improvements-coupled with an injury to junior Christina Reuter- have vaulted her into the prime starting role between the pipes.
“We have a lot of competition in goal this year,” Dreyer said. “Every day is a battle. I’m just happy that I’ve been given the opportunity to play. I know that nothing is a guarantee.”
The win was BU’s first victory against the Tigers (0-1) in a seven-game series that has lasted 10 years. The loss also snapped a five-game winning streak for Princeton, dating back to last season. Despite playing on the road, Feldman said her team was confident heading into the showdown with the Tigers.
“We are always confident we can win,” she said. “We needed to be the aggressor and if goals weren’t coming early we needed the mentality not to give them an inch. Those are the things you have to do whether you are home or away. Play with composure as a unit- these are things we know that will lead us to success. If we focus attention on those things, we should and can win every game. The team battled hard.”
After an overtime win against Boston College, a loss to UMass-Amherst and the win against Princeton, the Terriers sit at 2-1 on the season and will take on Brown University-a team that beat BU 1-0 last season and has scored nine goals in two games this year-tonight at Nickerson Field at 7 p.m.
“I think [the team] is coming along,” Feldman said. “We are getting better every day, and we now have a better idea of what people can do and where they can do it. We also have a good team approach and the players are unselfish. That should lead us to wins. We’re getting better as far as tactics, how to play as a group. That’s all you can ask for. As of right now we are where we want to be.”