After a brief home stint in which the Boston University women’s soccer team fell to the University of Massachusetts 1–0, the Terriers will head down to Raleigh, N.C., to take on the North Carolina State University Wolfpack Thursday.
This will be the first ever match between BU and NC State, as both teams look to move on from three-game losing streaks.
BU (3–5–1) is coming off a rough stretch in which the team has dropped games to Stanford University, Santa Clara University and the University of Massachusetts. Offensive futility has been a major factor in the Terriers’ recent skid, as the team has been shut out over the last three games with identical final scores of 1–0. In the prior six games, the Terriers had found the back of the net 12 times.
BU coach Nancy Feldman said she has focused on improving the offense of the team during practice.
“We’re just continuing and trying to improve on things,” Feldman said. “[We are] trying to have better goal-scoring opportunities and creating more goals.”
In spite of their ineffective offensive play over the last three games, five Terriers have scored at least two goals this season, including senior midfielder Brea Hewitt, who leads the team with five points on the year.
Juniors Madison Clemens and Emma Clark, sophomore Jamie Turchi and freshman Jenna Fisher are the other Terriers that have recorded two goals. Sophomore forward Taylor Krebs leads the team with three assists.
Junior goalkeeper Andrea Green has continued to be solid in net, recording 44 saves on the season while holding a 1.06 goals-against average and a .815 save percentage.
NC State (5–5–0) hosts BU after its own disappointing losing streak, in which the Wolfpack lost to the University of Kansas, No. 9 Virginia University and No. 8 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. NC State has a potent offense, as nine different players have scored for the Wolfpack, with freshman Brittany Stanko leading the way with four goals.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Victoria Hopkins has started every game for the Wolfpack, compiling a 1.72 goals-against average and a .734 save percentage.
NC State Coach Steve Springthorpe is in his fourth season with the Wolfpack and has a 30–34–4 record with the team.
As BU prepares for the game on Thursday, Feldman said, the Terriers cannot take the Wolfpack lightly.
“They’re a strong opponent,” she said. “They play in the premier conference in the country for women’s soccer [ACC]. They play with and against great competition.
“They’re not one of the top teams right now, but they’ve done a good job being competitive … They’re athletic — they attack — so we have a challenge in front of us.”
When asked about what BU’s gameplan would be against NC State, Feldman pointed out that the Terriers do not have a specific game plan for any specific team. “We’re still looking to establish ourselves … and get our attack going,” she said. “It’s a process, and we just want to keep building on what we’ve been doing … We certainly want to generate more scoring opportunities, continue to work on protecting the ball on attack, win 50–50s … and playing as a unit defensively.”
The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Field.
This game marks the last non-conference game that the Terriers will play during the regular season. After Thursday’s game, BU will return home to play The University at Albany Sunday as America East conference play begins.
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