Bulldog battle

After struggling through the first portion of its schedule, the Boston University women’s soccer team is beginning to hit its stride.

Tonight, the Terriers will be tested on the road against Yale University (3-4-0) in their final matchup before conference play begins — a match that could shed new light on the team’s overall makeup.

BU (3-4-1) travels to New Haven, Conn. after playing arguably its best game of the year Friday night against the University of Minnesota. Against the Gophers, the Terriers fell behind early, but rallied in the second half with explosive offensive play that led to numerous scoring chances. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Terriers displayed the offensive capabilities they’ve been trying to find since late August.

Through its first seven games, BU’s offense struggled to complete passes and finish plays in the attacking third of the field. In the second half and overtime of Friday’s game, however, BU laid on a barrage of crisp passes and well-directed crosses that found their way toward the Minnesota net.

“I feel like we’re making progress,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “Our attack is starting to catch up a little bit. We are generating more chances and that starts to build your confidence.

“We need to be aggressive going at goal, move the ball well in the attack and combine in the attack. We are looking for aggressive individual moments and opportunities, when that is the right decision. That’s what’s starting to build us some momentum,” she continued.

Scoring will not be an easy task against a Yale team that has shut out its last two opponents. With the exception of a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of the University of North Carolina, the Bulldogs have allowed only five goals in six games. The Terriers, on the other hand, have not yet scored more than one goal in a game all season.

Yale began the season by overpowering Bucknell University, 3-1, in New Haven before embarking on a four-game road trip that included stops in Chapel Hill, N.C. and Portland, Ore. for weekend tournaments. The Bulldogs returned home to Connecticut with four straight losses, managing only one goal during that two-week stretch. Yale has since won two games and not allowed a goal in those wins. Like the Terriers, Yale has trudged through an extremely difficult schedule early in the season, and its impressive attack has kept the Bulldogs in games.

“We expect to see a very good attacking team,” Feldman said. “They are a team that I think we can get opportunities against because they do commit to the attack pretty aggressively. They are very dangerous on set pieces and counters. On- and off-the-ball marking is going to have to be very good.”

The Terriers will face a trio of fierce Bulldog attackers. Junior Maggie Westfal and freshman Becky Brown have each tallied three goals, while sophomore Leslie Perez has netted two scores. The three have accounted for Yale’s eight goals this season.

“We’re obviously defending well as a team,” Feldman said. “We’re not allowing opponents great opportunities. We have been very sure that way and we need to keep that up. We need to remain focused on all the little things that need to happen in order for you to have success. You need to move your feet and press right, be aggressive, but not lose your composure.”

The Terriers have left behind a stretch in which they lost three straight 1-0 decisions, and are working toward consistency across the board. After beating Brown University last week and limiting Minnesota to one goal in Friday’s draw, they seem to be on the right track.

“Yale and BU both played a good schedule to get to the point where you find yourself,” Feldman said. “You really find out who you are and what you’re capable of, and we’ve both sort of done that. In the end, it’s about who has gotten better as time has gone on, playing this tough schedule, and who comes to play. We want to be that team.”