Three games have passed in the early journey of the Boston University men’s hockey team – four if you consider the exhibition to St. Francis Xavier – and a simple pattern has already emerged: loss, win, loss, win, or more specifically sieve Kieran, goalie Kieran, sieve Kieran, goalie Kieran. 
Forgive me for calling Kieran Millan a sieve, but his play, along with that of his teammates, has been incredibly inconsistent.
I have noticed that you can tell how the team will fare within just the first five minutes of the game. If Kieran is on, we know we have a good chance to win; if he is fighting the puck early, in the game then hold on it will be a bumpy ride.
BU hockey, with its historic success, has been incredibly inconsistent during my tenure at Boston University. As a fan, such inconsistency puts me on edge and I know that no game is a guaranteed win.
Amidst all this frustrating inconsistency, thank goodness for the women’s soccer team who has been a perfect example of both consistency and dominance in America East Conference.
When I think of BU Athletics the first thing that comes to mind is the entrance to Walter Brown Arena. Above the front doors is a sign with the years BU has won the Stuart P. Haskell Jr. Commissioner’s Cup. Each spring, this trophy is awarded to the strongest athletic department within the conference based upon some scoring system, which I still have yet to understand.
What I do know is BU has won the last six Commissioner’s Cups and nine of the last 10. Unless BU leaves America East soon, they are going to run out of room on the top of the entryway to Walter Brown. These distinctions within the conference show both the dominance and consistency of BU’s athletic teams.
Coach Nancy Feldman and her squad are perfect examples of this excellence.
The women’s soccer team, whose domination in America East can only be surpassed by our women’s tennis program, do not gain the attention they ought to from students, but are receiving recognition by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
BU women’s soccer has won the America East championship the past four seasons and has made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament each season since 2005. The Terriers have won 37 of their last 38 America East games dating back to 2007.
That sounds pretty dominant to me.
If you are a fan of good clean soccer I urge you to take in a game. Even if you do not like soccer, but just want something to cheer about, odds are the women’s soccer team can help you out.
Just last Sunday they defeated the University of Maryland-Baltimore County 8-0. When was last time you saw a score like that in soccer? Even when BU does not win by eight goals, offensively they dominate possession and shots on goal, while its defense completely shuts down opposition.
Before the season began, I admittedly thought BU would not be as successful as the prior year, where they did not concede a goal for 1,260 minutes and 38 seconds. I believed the loss of leading goal-scorer Lisa Kevorkian would be too much to replace, but I am glad I was wrong.
The Terriers are currently ranked 20th in the nation by the NSCAA and by Tuesday, they will likely have a better ranking thanks to victories against UMBC and Stony Brook University.
It is nice see that the men’s soccer team’s offensive woes are not rubbing off on their female counterparts.
While the Terriers have been dominant this season, their biggest game is still ahead. In my past three years watching this team, the Terriers have dominated the America East Conference. In even the most competitive years, even the second place team was miles away, in terms of talent, from BU.
This year is different.
Out of the blue came the University of Hartford who, to my surprise, has yet to lose a game. While its strength of schedule is much easier than BU’s this season, the team’s record admittedly worries me. On record alone they could give the Terriers a run for their money in the conference tournament.
Coach Feldman has wisely been focusing on the next game on the schedule rather than worrying about Hartford. However, I am not the coach, and I can look as far ahead as I wish.
These two teams meet on Sunday at Nickerson Field where first place and home-field advantage in the America East Tournament will likely be at stake.
This columnist believes we ought to give one of our most underrated, yet successful teams, the support it deserves in a game that really matters. So please, follow the music that blares from Nickerson Field and take in what I believe to be one of the most important games for all of BU Athletics this season.
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