Women’s soccer preps for weekend tilts against Akron, Northeastern

The Boston University women’s soccer team’s season-long homestand at Nickerson Field continues this weekend, as the Terriers face off against the University of Akron Friday and crosstown foe Northeastern University Sunday.

BU (4-2) will look to rebound after dropping a 1-0 decision to the University of San Francisco last Sunday – snapping a home winning streak that began all the way back on Sept. 23, 2012, when the Terriers defeated the University at Albany by a score of 3-1.

Despite the disappointing loss, the Terrier backfield once again put forth an admirable performance, limiting the Dons (3-2-1) to just two shots on goal, including zero attempts over the final 45 minutes of play.

The stellar showing from BU’s defense has been a recurring trend this year with opponents only managing to scrap together five total shots on goal over the Terriers’ last three games – equaling out to 270 minutes of play.

While the BU backfield has been stellar, the team’s offense has been more in the middle of the pack in terms of generating scoring opportunities at 1.17 goals per game – tied for fifth in the conference.

“It’s still a work in progress,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “I like the enthusiasm of our team. I like their mentality. We’re always fast and aggressive. I’d like to couple that with a little bit more composure in attack both in transitional moments and build up moments to get better opportunities.”

Friday will stand as the second meeting between the Terriers and Zips (2-3), with BU besting Akron in a 1-0 win on Sept. 8, 2013, thanks to a score from sophomore forward Erica Kosienski in the 79th minute.

The Zips are coming off an impressive come-from-behind victory against St. Bonaventure University Friday, finding the back of the net three times over the last 40 minutes of play to secure the 3-1 victory.

“They kind of control the tempo of the game with their immediate high pressure, and they don’t let you open up and get a rhythm and attack when if they do get opened up, they may try and control the tempo by delaying the tempo a bit by having a line confrontation, which can make you feel a little casual because you have a lot of time on the ball,” Feldman said of Akron.

Akron has rolled out a goalkeeper rotation to start this season, as junior Klaire Adee (three starts) and senior Alex Luevano-Harden (two starts) have both seen time in net, with Luevano-Harden leading the corps with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .789 save percentage.

While a meeting between the Terriers and Zips is mostly a rare occurrence, the same can’t be said whenever BU and Northeastern (3-2-1) face off. Sunday will stand as the 15th meeting between the two programs, with the Terriers boasting an 11-2-1 record.

The Terriers did not take on the Huskies last season, but are 2-0 in their last two tilts against Huskies, earning 2-0 and 3-0 victories in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Northeastern has been impressive on both generating offense and limiting opposing forwards this season, outshooting teams by a 117-44 margin while recording eight goals in six games.

For Feldman, the biggest key to a success, especially against Akron, lies in the team dictating the pace of play out on the pitch.

“What we have to do, and this is how we’re going to grow as a team, is we need to control the tempo of the game with our decisions and keeping them under pressure and not letting them find her and get opened up and keep the ball,” Feldman said. “We have to control the tempo by being able to keep the ball and keep possession and be a little bit more patient while keeping our speed of play high.

“They’re a strong Division I soccer team, and what we try to do in all our games is to continue to try and get better at playing our game and not allowing the other team to dictate the tempo. That’s the priority tomorrow night.”