Playing without their star midfielder was no problem for the Terriers yesterday, who overcame the loss of junior Marisha Schumacher-Hodge and getting outshot 23-8 to post a 3-0 victory on the road over Stony Brook University yesterday.
BU’s victory ended the Seawolves’ (7-3-5, 4-1-2 America East) 10-game unbeaten streak and upped the Terriers’ record to 8-6-2 (5-1-0 AE).
BU entered yesterday’s matchup between two of the Northeast region’s top-10 squads fresh off its first conference loss Thursday against the University of Hartford. But the Terriers showed no lingering effects of the defeat in the early going. Just 3:10 into the contest, junior back Elizabeth Speck fired a shot that forced SBU goalkeeper Marisa Viola to come up with a save.
Mara Osher more than made up for the absence of Schumacher-Hodge, who missed the game due to illness, when she perfectly placed a corner kick — normally Schumacher-Hodge’s responsibility — near the post, which Emily Pallotta headed past Viola for her third goal of the season.
“Mara filled in admirably with a couple very good balls,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “Emily’s goal was a bang-bang play that the [SBU] keeper had no shot at.”
Near the end of the first half, the Terriers once again used a corner kick to find the back of the net. This time, Osher’s blast was headed in by junior back Shannon Mullen for her second goal of the year, which came in the 39th minute.
“Shannon is becoming an exceptional player in the air and she is a huge weapon for us,” Feldman said.
Stony Brook outshot BU in the first half, 10-4, but Terrier senior goalie Christina Reuter made seven saves to keep the Seawolves off the board. Just more than seven minutes into the second half, the Terrier offense provided Reuter and the defense with more breathing room.
Freshman forward Stephanie Croghan collected a rebound from a Farrell McClernon shot to score her fourth goal of the season in just her second start of the year.
“Stephanie doesn’t need a lot of chances to score goals, because she has a quick trigger and she finds space,” Feldman said. “She has proven to be very effective goal scorer, which has been a nice surprise.”
Stony Brook intensified its offensive pressure by firing 13 second-half shots and recording four corners to BU’s zero in the frame, but Reuter came up with seven more saves. Her 14 saves marked the second highest single-game total in Terrier history, and she also got a little help from the post and crossbar. In the 72nd minute, Seawolves forward Kate Collins set up midfielder Aisling Toolan for a shot that fired off the post, which rebounded to Reuter. In the 78th minute, Collins broke in alone on Reuter but blasted her shot off the crossbar.
“[SBU is] dangerous and they play with three forwards and they created some good opportunities,” Feldman said. “Christina made some pretty special saves, and it was her biggest performance this year.”
The Terriers’ three-goal effort marked the third time this season they have scored three goals or more in a contest, and the fact they did so against Viola made the feat even more impressive. SBU’s keeper entered the game with a 0.46 goals-against average and .921 save percentage, topping America East and ranking in the top-10 nationally in both categories.
However, what impressed Feldman most about the Terriers’ performance was their ability to pull out a victory without Schumacher-Hodge in the lineup against a very physical team.
“The Stony Brook players were chippy, borderline a little dirty and the game got a bit out of control,” Feldman said. “What was special about the game is that we did a fantastic job with our composure and controlling our emotions, despite the chippiness of the opposing team.”
Schumacher-Hodge did not travel with the team. Feldman said her star midfielder played at 50 percent strength during Thursday’s loss to Hartford, but Schumacher-Hodge believes her health is improving.
