Down 1-0 to Stony Brook University in the America East semifinal after the first half, the Boston University women’s soccer team saw no need to panic.
The Terriers had found themselves in this exact same scenario 38 days ago.
On Sept. 24, BU was trailing Dartmouth College 1-0 after the first 45 minutes of action. But, in the 60th minute, junior Shauna Kelleher netted the tying goal for the Terriers.
The game would remain tied for the remaining 30 minutes of play, sending it into overtime.
Two minutes into the first overtime, senior co-captain Emily Pallotta headed in the game-winning header, propelling BU to a 2-1 come-from-behind win.
And Sunday afternoon’s AE semifinal against Stony Brook University was no different, especially the result.
The Terriers fell behind 1-0 to the Seawolves after freshman Sa’sha Kershaw’s goal in the 15th minute.
By the end of the first half, BU had outshot Stony Brook 9-2 and had drawn six more corners, but with nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.
BU coach Nancy Feldman’s halftime speech was simple: stay calm.
‘I told them that I thought we needed to, first of all, on the one hand, calm down and be a little bit more like not in such a rush to go forward,’ she said. ‘[In the second half], we needed to bring it to another level of aggressiveness but with a composure to keep it and open up.’
And coach Feldman’s words rang loud and clear.
BU, as it has done countless times under Feldman’s tenure, found a way to climb back into the game, starting with freshman Jessica Morrow’s goal in the 73rd minute that tied the score at one.
Pallotta, the 2009 America East Midfielder of the Year, headed in the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining in the first overtime ‘-‘- just like on Sept. 24 ‘-‘- earning BU a 2-1 comeback victory and a spot in the America East title game next Saturday against Binghamton University.
‘It’s always tough when you come out first half and you want to come out strong and put one in first,’ Pallotta said. ‘But I think our team showed a lot of grit in the second half, drawing a lot more corners and shots at the net and not putting one in and then finally having the will to put a couple away when it counts.’
What is it about these Terriers that make them not feel the heat in pressure filled situations?
‘It’s experience,’ senior Farrell McClernon said. ‘If you look at [the team], we have eight seniors starting and more seniors coming off the bench, so we have a ton of older players. And it’s just experience. This team has a lot of heart. There’s a ton of heart on this team, and it showed today.’
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