Women’s soccer holds on for win against Dartmouth

It was a nail-biter for the Boston University women’s soccer team, as the Terriers held off several offensive attacks by Dartmouth College in the final minutes of Tuesday night’s game at Nickerson Field to hold on for a 1-0 win.

The Terriers (9-3-3, 3-0-2 Patriot League) came alive offensively in the second half, as their lone goal came from senior midfielder Jamie Turchi in the 57th minute of play, which was enough to lift BU over the visiting Big Green (3-4-4).

Once again, the Terriers shined on defense, led by senior defender Kai Miller, as they held the Big Green to just six shots all game. Senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi and sophomore goalkeeper Bridget Conway teamed up to earn the fourth shutout of the year for the Terriers, who have only surrendered three goals in their last five games.

“I thought we defended well, and we did really well with the physicality and the 50/50 balls,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “I thought the tempo of our attack was not fast enough, and that was a problem we had to solve in the first half. Sometimes, it takes 15 or 20 minutes in the first half to figure out the tempo of the game.”

Indeed, the Terriers struggled as a team to generate scoring chances in the first half, which has proved an issue for the squad all season. The Terriers have only scored six first-half goals this season, while also chipping in 16 goals over the last 45 minutes of play.

“At halftime, we try to help the girls solve the problems, give them some ideas and suggestions,” Feldman said. “They always embrace what we tell them. They’re very eager-beaver learners. They execute what you tell them to execute.

“In the second half, I thought we still committed to defending. I thought the temple of our attack was a little quicker, and we moved the ball a little more. It’s hard to defend 120 yards by 74 if you move the ball well.”

The Terriers were able to capitalize on their improved ball movement in the second half. In the 57th minute, freshman defender Alivya Wimmer took a free kick near the midfield line and rifled it straight into the box. Turchi was in just the right place to guide the ball in with her head and send the ball past Dartmouth goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders to give the Terriers the go-ahead goal.

“Jaime’s been playing great,” Feldman said. “She’s a maestro. She can really control and orchestrate a game for you.”

After Turchi’s header, the Terriers controlled possession for the rest of the game. The Big Green had one near-goal in the 64th minute when a corner kick for Dartmouth ended up being a close-range shot by Big Green freshman Lauren Lackey. The ball deflected off Conway’s outstretched hands, then off the crossbar and out of bounds.

This would prove to be the only opportunity the Big Green had to tie the game until about the 85th minute, when the visiting squad applied all the offensive pressure they could. Dartmouth had three corners and three shots in the final five minutes, but Conway and the Terrier defense held strong to preserve the third-straight win for BU.

The Terriers, who remain second place in the Patriot League standings behind Colgate University, will face off in a Patriot League matchup against Loyola University-Maryland Saturday in Baltimore. Feldman said the team would be heading into the game with confidence and an understanding of what they need to do to win.

“I think our confidence is growing. We have a better sense of what we’re trying to do, and I like to think the players get a little better playing their position,” Feldman said. “It’s more that we’ve become more of a unit, and we have a way we try to play. The team is getting more comfortable with the game plan and trusting it and each other.”