There’s nothing like a brand new car with its fresh leather smell and its quiet engine waiting to be driven to its limits.
For the No. 22 Boston University women’s soccer team, its new engine has produced a perfect 3-0 record, but it now looks to test its durability and strength when the Terriers head to the Motor City to play Oakland University on Friday and the University of Michigan on Sunday.
BU’s visit to the Midwest is its first trip out of Massachusetts this season, playing only at the UMass-Amherst and Boston College.
“This will definitely be a test for us,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “Being on the road presents more of a challenge as we have to get acclimated to each field.
“We have something to prove, though,” she added. “We want to show that our regional ranking [of No. 2 in the Northeast] is for real. When that whistle blows, we’ll be ready to go.”
BU is coming off a 3-2 win over George Mason University on Sept. 10, when the Terriers escaped a late Patriot rally. Feldman was displeased with her team during periods that she characterized as “lost of focus and concentration.” The Patriots scored two late goals to shrink BU’s three-goal lead.
“Our defense against George Mason wasn’t as great as it could be,” Feldman said. “We were exposed a little bit because of poor discipline and focus. We have to continue to work on getting comfortable in our sets so everyone knows exactly what they need to do.”
The Terriers have had seven days off between games, but Feldman said she has tried to increase the level of competition in each practice.
“Our practices are pretty competitive,” Feldman said. “Every exercise has a winner and a loser, and nobody wants to lose because they then have to run. We went through a lot of running drills so that they could play when they’re fatigued.”
Feldman realizes it’s hard to duplicate the intensity of game situations, but she said she isn’t concerned that her team might come out flat.
“I like this setup, especially in the beginning of the season,” Feldman said. “It gives us more time to go over some things which we definitely need following the George Mason game.”
Oakland University (1-2-0) comes into today’s meeting on a high note after beating Marquette University, 3-1, in the final game of the Holiday Inn Select Classic. Junior Kristi Swaving netted two goals for the Golden Grizzlies and assisted on the third.
“They are a very organized team,” Feldman said. “We can’t afford to get down early to them because if they get a lead, it might be difficult.
“We should be more athletic,” she added. “We should be able to use that to our advantage. We’ll be tough if we can make them move around a lot and wear them out.”
Swaving leads the team in points and is one of Feldman’s two big concerns.
“We’re really going to have to focus on defense,” she said. “They have a couple of great attacking players in Swaving and [Silje] Peltopera. We have to know where they are on the field at all times.”
The Terriers’ second stop is against the University of Michigan (2-2-0), which comes into the game riding a two-game win streak of its own, most recently defeating Ohio University, 3-1.
Michigan has had an extremely difficult schedule thus far, with its two losses coming to two Top-25 teams in No. 13 University of Texas and No. 5 Texas A’M University.
Freshman Melissa Dobbyn leads the Wolverines with seven points on three goals and an assist, followed by fellow freshman Therese Heaton with three goals. The duo has combined for 27 shots on goal.
Feldman said she has looked over the numbers and watched tape, but she would not comment on Michigan, insisting that the team is only “focusing on Oakland first.”
The Terriers did receive good news for this trip as sophomore Lauren Erwin was cleared to play this weekend, and Feldman said she will “ease her into the games” by playing the sophomore sparse minutes.
While the Terriers know the amount of talent they will see this weekend, Feldman holds her team on the highest pedestal and believes that this will be a very successful weekend.
“We’re capable of winning both games,” she said. “This is a big challenge for us, but if we play at the top of our game, it’s not impossible to say that.”
