As one season comes to an end …

It was a season that began in frustration and futility, hit its peak in triumph and exaltation and ended in helplessness and heartbreak.

For the Boston University women’s soccer team, the 2005 season represented one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Ending the year 14-5-4, the Terriers captured the America East title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament by defeating the No. 15 University of Connecticut on their home field in Storrs, Conn.

Like all great things, however, the Scarlet and White’s season had to end, and in a down-to-the-wire battle against cross-town rival Boston College, the Terriers’ train finally derailed. The Eagles defeated BU, 1-0, on a late score by the now-infamous Tara Luciani.

And although a tear-jerking loss to the Maroon and Gold is never an ideal way for any BU squad to finish its season, the game itself was a perfect representation of the 2005 season. In a defensive, physical battle, the Terriers’ defense clamped down on the No. 13 team in the country, allowing one of the nation’s more potent attacks nearly no offensive penetration.

“It’s definitely one of the most satisfying seasons that I can remember as a coach,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman, who has been at the helm of the women’s program since its inception in 1995. “And it’s not just the fact we had such a fantastic finish. It’s about more than just our performance.”

The final game was also fitting because it reflected what the Boston 11 did all season. In every game – from the season opener in Chestnut Hill to the final game in Storrs – BU never lost a game when it scored at least one goal. All five losses of the Terriers losses were shutouts, and all but one (a 2-0 defeat in the first game of the season) was a 1-0 loss.

The undefeated America East champions allowed a total of just 15 goals. With sophomore Christina Reuter and junior Stephanie Dreyer splitting time in between the posts, the Terriers’ goals-against average at the season’s final whistle was a miniscule 0.62 goals per game.

Not that BU blew out all its opponents – in fact, it was quite the opposite. In 23 games, the Terriers netted only 29 goals. Of their 14 wins, seven were by a score of 1-0. However, for the Terriers it wasn’t how much they scored, but how much they needed to score to win.

And during the 2005 season, they usually scored enough.

It was a team concept from Aug. 26 to Nov. 12, as the Terriers grew and achieved as a unit, rather than as individuals.

But BU was not without superb individual performances. Nine Terrier starters received individual accolades during the season, and Feldman was named America East Coach of the Year for the fifth time.

Senior striker Meghann Cook, senior midfielder Brooke Bingham, junior midfielder Lauren Erwin and senior back Brittany McDonald were all named America East First Teamers. Second-team members included seniors Susan Marschall and Melissa Shulman, while senior Erica Lee received an honorable mention. Freshmen Marisha Schumacher-Hodge and Ashley LoCasale won All-Rookie honors.

The Terriers were picked in preseason to win the conference. They didn’t just win it – they dominated it.

But it wasn’t always easy.

Before America East competition started, the Terriers were still trying to find themselves as a team. After their first 10 games, BU was just 4-4-2 and was having a difficult time finding the back of the net.

It was after the Sept. 21 Harvard University game – a matchup BU lost 1-0 – when Feldman began to feel the team had hit a level of mediocrity she wasn’t expecting.

“The players didn’t play well that day and I think they knew it,” Feldman said. “I was sorely disappointed because we had made some progress and then we had a setback. It was a scary moment.”

But then America East play rolled around, and the Terriers traveled to Stony Brook University to take on the Seawolves. The Terriers won that contest, 1-0 on a Shulman header.

And they never looked back.

“It’s so this team,” Feldman said. “It’s what they put their minds to and they did it in the most positive way. We got it going. And once you get it going, it kind of becomes an animal of its own.”

And a ferocious animal it was. In conference play, the Terriers posted a 9-0-1 record which included two dramatic victories in the postseason. In the semifinals of the America East Tournament, Shulman single-handedly brought the Terriers back after they fell behind 1-0 to the University of New Hampshire with only 5:19 to go in regulation.

Barely a minute after scoring on a header from Cook to tie the score at 1-1, Shulman booted a 35-yard goal in overtime to give the Terriers a victory and a guaranteed appearance in the America East final.

“That game sort of says it all,” Feldman said. “We dominated the game, then faced an impossible task. And we overcame it. It wasn’t just Melissa – it was everyone. That game catapulted us to our other wins.”

In the conference tournament finale, BU again found itself in overtime against rival the University of Maine. The two best teams in the conference battled to a 1-1 tie in regulation, which was ultimately broken by a header from Marschall with just under nine minutes to go in the second overtime.

The tournament MVP’s goal sent the Terriers to UConn to face the No. 15 Huskies. After battling to a 0-0 tie in regulation, the Terriers scored in double overtime off an Ashley Chassar header to notch the upset.

With that victory, the 2005 team became just the second in the program’s 11-year history to advance to the NCAA second round.

Purely based on statistics, Feldman could have been more than happy with the year. But the empress of Terrier soccer said the season was successful for more than just the stats.

“There’s an ability for this team to have fun and laugh, but they can also focus and work hard when they need to,” she said. “For individuals and for teams as a whole, that team doesn’t come around very often.

“But it did – and that was pretty great.”