Having a No. 1 rank in the America East Conference standings may relax some teams into a comfortable sense of security as the season progresses.
However, the Boston University women’s soccer team is not one of those groups, especially in light of Thursday’s game against Stony Brook University.
Not only do the Terriers (12-2-1, 5-0-0 America East) continue to play with all the effort and determination a first place team should have, they maintain their drive to improve upon their evident talent and skill.
“We just keep taking steps in the right direction,” said BU head coach Nancy Feldman.
While taking on the Seawolves (4-9-1, 2-2-1 America East) in New York, the Terriers hope to exhibit more aggression and penetration when shooting goals, according to Feldman.
“Our defending mentality has to stay strong,” Feldman said. “A goal of ours is to have a lot of possession.”
Admittedly, the Seawolves do not exactly provide a welcoming atmosphere to visiting teams. With an immensely enthusiastic crowd that will undoubtedly come out to support their team for such a critical match, the Terriers will have to conquer not only their opponents, but also the difficult environment.
“[The game against Stony Brook] is a tough one because that’s a hard place to play – it’s a seven o’clock game on a Thursday night and it’s kind of a crazy place,” Feldman said after Sunday’s game against Binghamton University. “The fans really get into it and are very supportive of their team. There’s going to be a lot of heckling and that’s the kind of environment that they create.”
After Sunday’s successful game against Binghamton (9-12-0, 1-3-0 America East), it became clear that this group was dedicated not just to winning matches, but also to putting forth a team effort rather than spotlighting only a few individuals.
Different players, including senior forward Tiya Gallegos, sophomore midfielder Kylie Strom, senior midfielder Brittany Heist and senior midfielder Jessica Luscinski, scored all four goals during the weekend game.
“The last couple of games I feel like we look like we’re playing for each other and we look like it in the net,” Feldman said. “We’re sharing the ball and we’re extending for each other. And having the multiple goal scorers – that’s been really consistent all year long.”
“That multifaceted attack with a lot of different goal scorers makes it a heck of a lot easier in matches because who the heck are they going to stop? How long can the scouting report be?”
Still, the Terriers have a few individuals who have proved to be particular threats in recent games. Gallegos has scored in each of the past four games, putting her at four goals on the season. Luscinski continues to stand out for both her attacking and defensive play as well as for tying with Strom for the most goals of the season.
Sophomore midfielder Emma Clark is also beginning to step into the spotlight.
“You almost see like she’s getting it rolling right now,” Feldman said. “She had a great chance against UNH – she’s going to start getting her fair share of goals.”
The Terriers can only hope that they are as successful this year playing against their New York opponents as they were last season.
In 2010, playing at Nickerson Field, BU beat Stony Brook 4-0, with one of the goals scored by Gallegos.
Only time will tell whether the Terriers will match their previous success as they face off against the Seawolves at 7 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s a tough place to play,” said Feldman. “We’re a very strong unit . . . we’ve got to keep distractions out and we’ve got to keep ourselves in check.”
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