STORRS, Conn. – It was an unbelievable dream that ended in a passion-filled nightmare.
The Boston University women’s soccer team traveled to the University of Connecticut on Thursday to begin its quest for a national championship. And it’s more than fair to say the Terriers gave it their best shot.
Drama ensued during both of BU’s contests over the weekend – its 1-0 double-overtime victory over the Huskies on Thursday and their heartbreaking 1-0 loss at the end of regulation to arch-rival Boston College on Saturday.
With the victory over UConn on Thursday, the Terriers accomplished something they’d only done one other time in their history – they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
But to accomplish this, BU had to go through a team, in No. 15 UConn, that hadn’t lost in the first round since 1993. And early in the contest, BU looked slow, small and overmatched.
“It looked like there were 14 UConn players and 11 of us for the first 25 minutes,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “But it was good that we changed that and we got a handle on things before the end of the half.”
After starting the contest in a 4-3-3, BU switched their strategy to a 4-4-2. In essence, by putting another midfielder on the pitch, the Terriers were able to infuse more speed into their defense against an aggressive, quick Huskies offense.
As it turned out, the first two halves weren’t enough to decide a winner. While both teams had their opportunities to put an end to the scoreless tie, the Huskies had the best chance to score, coming late in the second half.
After breaking through the Terrier defensive zone, UConn forward Katie Radchuk found herself in a one-on-one situation with BU sophomore goaltender Christina Reuter. Trying to sneak the ball past Reuter, Radchuk’s shot hit off the left goalpost, narrowly missing the score.
But the play wasn’t over. After the initial shot bounced off the post, the ball popped into the middle of the field. With Reuter on the ground, Jessica Diakun drilled another shot, which Reuter somehow miraculously deflected with her left arm.
“I went down for the first shot and the post helped me out,” Reuter said. “And then the next girl got a ball in the six-yard box took a one-time shot and I just reacted.”
Reuter’s successful effort was a microcosm of her weekend. Over the course of the weekend, the sophomore was between the posts and under the crossbar for 198 minutes. During that time, she recorded 16 saves and surrendered only one goal.
But that goal didn’t come on Thursday. The Terriers were the only team who hit the back of the net on that cold night. And it happened with a little over 8:30 to play in the second overtime.
After a loose ball landed deep in the UConn defensive third, BU sophomore defensive back Ashley LoCasale reached it and centered a pass to about five yards in front of the opposition goal. With the ball fluttering through the air, senior midfielder Ashley Chassar flew into the middle of the goal box, and slammed a header into the left side of the goal, giving the Terriers a 1-0 victory and the right to play on Saturday.
Saturday’s contest against BC was similar to Thursday’s – except for the final result. Another back-and-forth contest, both squads had numerous opportunities to break the scoreless tie.
The Terriers could have taken the lead numerous times in the second half, when the team started playing up to its potential, Feldman said. While there were many opportunities to sneak shots past keeper Alyssa Criscione, the best came early in the second half.
After BU received a free kick outside the 18-yard line, Meghann Cook took the free offering and lofted it a few yards in front of the goal. Sophomore midfielder Lauren Basham initially touched the offering, popping the ball into the air off her foot, and senior forward Melissa Shulman rocketed toward the ball and slammed a header. Unfortunately for BU, Shulman’s attempt went just high.
The Eagles, however, got one crippling, on-target shot with about three minutes to play. On a ball that got played through the Terrier defense, BC’s Tara Luciani got into a one-on-one situation with Reuter and put it in the top right corner of the net.
“It’s a game of inches,” Feldman said. “And we were fortunate in a couple games, the inches were for us. And in this game, the inches weren’t for us.”
Still, even with the heartbreaking loss and the subsequent end of the season for the BU squad, Feldman considered the team’s effort in Storrs to be a step forward for the program.
“I told the seniors that they took this program to another level,” Feldman said. “Now the expectation is that we’re going to make it to the third round. You know, because they’ve laid some groundwork, they’ve given us some belief. And with that, you’re tougher to beat.”
The season may have ended in a nightmarish loss to BC, but the Terriers accomplished one of their dreams – they proved that this America East program can play with all the big ones. And that progress is what this season was all about.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
