It was in the 108th minute of the double-overtime contest between the Boston University women’s soccer team and Harvard University when the ball found the back of the net yesterday at Ohiri Field. It had come off the foot of BU booter and sophomore forward Meghann Cook and the celebration began on the sidelines.
The players on the bench jumped up and began their rush onto the field to congratulate their teammates for gutting out a 2-1 win. Terrier fans in the stands high-fived each other in jubilation knowing that BU had just beaten their Crimson counterparts for the first time in team history.
Then everyone heard the whistle and everyone saw the flag raised and everyone knew the game would go on.
It wasn’t the Terriers’ only opportunity, but it was the best chance they had to avoid the 1-1 double-overtime tie.
The play developed when senior tri-captain Rebecca Beyer received the ball and dribbled down the left side of the field before crossing it around her defender. The ball seemed to be up for grabs in front of the net, which is when junior forward Lauren Ciccone made a desperate move for the ball that forced her to go behind her defender.
The move put her offside according to the officials, who determined that there were no other defenders or a ball between her and the goalie. That left her next move, toeing the ball out to Cross, illegal.
Head coach Nancy Feldman didn’t have any problem with the play or the call after she talked to BU sophomore forward Melissa Schulman who saw the play develop just a few yards away.
‘[Ciccone] touched it with her toe, that’s how it went out to Meghann Cook,’ Feldman said. ‘Melissa said that was the case, so you know. It’s a tough call by the referee. You know, I mean too bad.’
Feldman was more impressed with what the BU players did to develop the play than with the unfavorable outcome.
‘It was amazing for [Beyer] to keep the ball alive and work and work and work and get the ball across,’ she said. ‘Meghann got the monkey off her back, because we’re counting that goal. She’s been frustrated all season long with not scoring, but we’re counting that.’
Feldman’s decision to count the goal in theory doesn’t change the official outcome, but it does speak to how proud she was of her team’s effort.
‘I thought the kids played their guts out today,’ she said. ‘I mean just absolutely gave it everything they had. What more can you ask? If they do that every game, we’ll have a good team.’
‘This is one we wanted pretty bad,’ Feldman said. ‘It’s one of our goals this season to beat teams we have never beaten before.’
The disallowed shot would have achieved that goal. But that shot isn’t the only one for the Terriers to dwell on there were more than enough opportunities for them to score after Harvard evened the score in 62nd minute.
BU had eight shots in the second half and overtime, five of which were on net. The most excruciating shot on net came in the 82nd minute when sophomore midfielder Susan Marschall took a free kick from just past midfield.
Her kick was headed for the left post, thanks to some quick advice from the coaching staff, but Harvard goalie Katie Shields caught the hard-kicked ball right in front of the net. Her momentum seemed to take her into the net, but the officials ruled that she kept the ball over the goal line the whole time.
BU was also on the fortunate side of a couple close plays that both occurred in the 75th minute. Harvard midfielder Katie Johnson hit the crossbar and junior Emily Colvin missed the net on a cross past BU senior goalie Jessica Clinton, who had come out of the net to meet Colvin.
‘You know, they had a couple good chances, they could have won it. We could have won it,’ Feldman said. ‘Maybe a tie is fair.’