Worth the wait

Some things are better when you wait, but the Boston University women’s soccer team might disagree.

After waiting more than half the season for a breakout game, the squad finally delivered last night in Albany. Having scored just five goals in its first 10 games, the Terrier offense broke out in a big way, dominating Albany, 4-0.

BU (5-5-1, 2-0-0 America East) has focused on making the best of its offensive chances since early-season troubles left the team with three straight shutout losses. Three quick first-half goals last night forced the Great Danes (3-5-3, 0-2-0) to play catchup. The stingy Terrier defense took advantage of the opportunity to control the tempo of the game as BU earned its fifth shutout of the year.

“It was a very solid performance for a mid-week game,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman.

“With the traveling, those games are always a challenge. The team did a really good job today. We did the things you need to do to be successful.”

An early goal by sophomore Casey Brown got the Terriers started. Junior Marisha Schumacher-Hodge sent a corner kick into the box, which Brown finished for her first goal of the year in the sixth minute.

“We scored early and really set the tone with our attack and our determination defensively, not giving them a lot of opportunities,” Feldman said.

Nothing could stop the BU offense last night as it rolled to a 2-0 lead after Schumacher-Hodge assisted on her second goal of the game. She sent a pass to the far post, where sophomore Emily Pallotta was waiting to add to the lead in the 27th minute.

The third and final tally of the first half came on a goal by Schumacher-Hodge, who put a ball past Albany goalkeeper Maria Liguori following a pass from sophomore Mara Osher in the 38th minute.

Senior Christina Reuter got her second straight start in net as redshirt freshman Janie Reilly rests a leg injury that has kept her out of the starting lineup. But Reuter has handled the duties admirably in the interim, shutting out opponents in two straight games.

“The backs were really solid today,” Feldman said. “They are very complete. They’re positionally sound and they’re physically getting it done by joining the attack and making a contribution in the attack with their mobility. The whole group has been phenomenal.”

With the exception of a slight lull in the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Terriers were on top of their game from start to finish.

“The worst part of our performance was probably the first five or 10 minutes of the second half,” Feldman said. “We might have been a little lackadaisical coming out of halftime, but we completely took care of business the rest of the game.”

Freshman Stephanie Croghan scored her first goal as a Terrier in the 66th minute. Pallotta took a shot that was stopped by Liguori, but Croghan put home the rebound to give BU a 4-0 lead.

It was a big day for the freshmen, as Brittany Heist was given the start at center midfielder after fellow freshman Shauna Kelleher was scratched prior to game time. Heist made a good impression on her coach with a quality performance.

“Brittany hasn’t played a lot of center mid for us and we had to initiate her into college soccer by playing wide,” Feldman said. “She got the starting nod and had a tremendous game. I thought she had a great contribution on the match. The more confidence she gains, the better she’s going to play.”

Schumacher-Hodge has been shining brightly over the past two weeks. Just a week ago, she was named to the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in women’s college soccer. She scored her first goal of the season last night, and she added two assists in the contest.

“She is starting to hit her stride and play at a very high level,” Feldman said. “She’s up against the defensive pressure and she’s really playing 90 minutes of high quality soccer, both offensively and defensively. She is really starting to put people in with final passes that set them up for shots.”