Boston University women’s soccer coach Nancy Feldman had a good idea of who her team’s opponent would be in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Because of the Terriers’ lower ranking and the tendency for the NCAA to factor location into its scheduling, Feldman knew her squad would be playing one of the premier teams in the Northeast.
She had narrowed it down to Boston College, the University of Connecticut and Yale University. Out of those three, Feldman and her players had one team on their minds – UConn.
The NCAA must have thought the same, because on Friday at 6 p.m., in Storrs, Conn., the Terriers (13-4-4) will play the Huskies (15-4-2) in the first round of the College Cup.
“If I had my choice of the top opponents in the Northeast, that would be the team I would have chosen,” Feldman said of UConn. “I think BC might be the best team in the Northeast, and I want to stay away from them as long as possible. And Yale, I think, is going to be a really dangerous team.”
While Feldman said she thinks UConn also presents a serious challenge – they were ranked No. 15 in the Nov. 1 NSCAA/adidas poll – she said that she likes her team’s chances because of how the Terriers played against them in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
According to Feldman, that game – a 1-0 Terrier loss – can serve as a stepping stone to victory this time.
“I felt really good about how we competed against them [in 2003],” Feldman said. “We lost but we made it a really good game and we had an opportunity to win it. Right after that game I thought, ‘They’re a very good team and they deserved to win, but God I wish we could play them again.’
“We want another shot at them.”
Senior forward Melissa Shulman echoed those same sentiments and said she thought of Friday’s match-up as a “revenge game.”
“[UConn]’s who I wanted to play,” Shulman said. “I think this presents our best chance to win. They beat us two years ago. I think revenge is definitely in the cards.”
Senior back Susan Marschall agreed.
“It definitely gives us some motivation for revenge,” she said. “I think our team has improved from two years ago. Hopefully theirs hasn’t.” Despite UConn’s No. 3 ranking in the bracket and the Terriers’ No. 14 ranking, Feldman thinks her team will be ready.
“Certainly this will be a good challenge,” she said. “Any game we’re going to play is going to be a challenge, but I’m really confident we’re up for that challenge.”
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