The Boston University women’s soccer team opened up its season with 10-straight games against non-conference opponents, going 4-4-2 in those contests. Three out of those 10 teams were ranked, including then-No. 16 Boston College, then-No. 7 West Virginia University and then-No. 23 Penn State University.’
The Terriers kicked off America East Conference play last Sunday with a dominating 3-0 win over Binghamton University at Nickerson Field. Seven out of BU’s remaining eight games are against America East opponents with the only non-conference game coming against Bryant University on Oct. 21.
BU is currently on a three-game winning streak and has posted a 5-0-0 record at home, with four games left to play at Nickerson Field. The Terriers’ last three games of the regular season are at home against Hartford University, Bryant and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
The Terriers have won ten-straight conference games dating back to the 2007 season, and are the favorites to win their seventh America East championship this decade.
BU’s next game is on Thursday against conference rival the University of New Hampshire at Lewis Fields in Durham, N.H.
Offensive scoring touch found
Four-hundred and fifty minutes.
That’s how long BU had gone without scoring a goal until freshman Megan McGoldrick delivered the game winner in the 28th minute against Harvard University in a 1-0 win back on Sept. 20.
When had BU last scored? In the 78th minute against Loyola College Maryland when senior Farrell McClernon netted the Terriers’ lone goal in a 1-1 double overtime draw on Sept. 4.
Since the Harvard game, the Terriers have won three-straight games, scoring six goals in those three victories. Before the game against the Harvard University, the Terriers had scored a total of five goals in eight games.
In this three-game winning streak, McGoldrick, junior Shauna Kelleher, senior Emily Pallotta and junior Corie Halasz have found the back of the net, while senior Taleen Dimirdjian scored twice, her first and second collegiate goals, in the America East opener against Binghamton.
Beware of Reilly and her defenders
Senior goalkeeper Janie Reilly has been a force in net this season. Ranked 19th in the country in goals against average (0.525) and 18th in save percentage (0.875), Reilly recorded her second shutout of the season in the 3-0 win over Binghamton. She has played 685 minutes, stopping 28 shots and allowing only four goals.
The Terriers’ backline of Halasz, reigning America East Defender of the Year senior Casey Brown and freshman Jessica Morrow has been solid. The trio has allowed just nine goals up to this point in the season. Opponents have scored only one goal during BU’s three-game winning streak. The Terriers’ defense has definitely been one of the team’s strongest points in BU’s first 11 games.
Farrell McClernon, the unsung hero
The Terriers would not be where they are today without the contribution of McClernon. She is tied with sophomore Jessica Luscinski and classmate Dimirdjian for the lead in goals with two. She is second on the team in shots with 27, putting 13 of them on frame. But it’s what doesn’t appear on the stat sheet that makes McClernon even more valuable to the team.
‘[Hustle’s] what Farrell’s done her whole career,’ BU coach Nancy Feldman said. ‘She creates corners, and she creates chances because she does not let up until the ball is out of play. She makes life difficult for her defenders, and she’s smart because she doesn’t take a foul there. She makes it happen for an advantage to BU.’
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