Women’s soccer blanks Lehigh

In a true team effort, three different players scored goals for the Boston University women’s soccer team as it secured a 3-0 victory over Lehigh University in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

With the win, the Terriers (8-3-1, 3-1-0 Patriot League) extended their winning streak to three games. The Mountain Hawks (2-7-2, 0-4-0 Patriot League) dropped their second game in a row and now sit at the bottom of the Patriot League standings.

As was the case in Wednesday’s contest against College of the Holy Cross, the match proved to be a tale of two halves for the Terriers. The first half of action saw both teams struggling to gain possession in the midfield. The Terriers and Mountain Hawks each were eager to play deep passes over the top to try and get behind the respective defenses.

Senior goalkeeper Andrea Green remained relatively untested throughout the contest, only making one save in 85 minutes of play. However, in the 29th minute, BU held its breath as Green bobbled a seemingly routine save, almost letting the Mountain Hawks take a 1-0 lead. She was able to compose herself for the rest of the game.

The Terriers dominated the stat sheet in the first 45 minutes of play, outshooting the Mountain Hawks 8-1, but the scoreboard remained unchanged as the teams headed into halftime.

The Terriers came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half, dominating possession and running circles around the Mountain Hawks.

BU came close in the 51st minute when senior midfielder Kylie Strom took a free kick from outside the 18-yard box that required a save from Lehigh goalkeeper Ashley Blanks.

In the 55th minute of play, senior forward Madison Clemens finally opened the floodgates for BU when she hit a left-footed shot from the right side of the 18-yard box inside the far post. The goal was Clemens’ sixth of the season.

From there the Terriers dominated the rest of the match. In the 71st minute, senior midfielder Megan McGoldrick made it 2-0 when she took a shot from 20 yards out that soared through the outstretched arms of Blanks and into the goal.

Junior midfielder Jamie Turchi added an extra insurance goal in the 83rd minute when she capped off a series of well-executed passes in the penalty box and headed junior forward Ana Cuffia’s cross in at the back post.

Freshman goalkeeper Bridget Conway saw her first action all season for the Terriers as she stepped in for Green for the last five minutes of play.

Although this is the second game in a row in which the Terriers started out slowly, BU coach Nancy Feldman said she is not concerned.

“It’s not a trend,” Feldman said. “It was different than Wednesday … Sometimes it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to figure [a team] out.”

Defense was once again key for the Terriers, who have only let up four goals in 11 games.

“I really think our team has done a wonderful job of being focused defensively all over the field and not letting our guard down,” Feldman said. “We’re really trying to be at the top of our game defensively for 90 minutes all over the field. It’s not just the backs and the goalkeepers — it’s the forwards, they make it happen too. Our team culture and our team belief is that if we do that, we will have clean sheets.”