The Boston University women’s soccer team will look to rebound against Colgate University Wednesday night at Nickerson Field.
After snapping a seven-game unbeaten streak with a loss to Loyola University-Maryland, BU coach Nancy Feldman said the Terriers (9-4-3, 3-1-2 Patriot League) hope to come out more aggressive against the Raiders (11-1-2, 5-0-1 Patriot League).
“We want to play better for 90 minutes. We’re going to need to attack the game. We’re going to have to defend really well and have the ball,” she said. “We want to play our best. I guess you just put your mind to it. That’s what every team is trying to capture every time out, no matter what the conditions or situation. We try to get ready to do that. I’m confident that we’ll get back on track.”
The postseason-bound Raiders are coming off a strong showing against Bucknell University as sophomore forward Sarah Coy has been on a tear with eight goals in her past five games, including two against the Bison (7-7-2, 2-3-1 Patriot League). The recent outburst earned her Patriot League Player of the Week honors last week. She ranks second in the league in goals, with eight scores in 14 games.
Coy is a major contributor in Colgate’s dynamic offense, which averages 1.71 goals per game — second-best in the conference. Feldman made sure to point out that it would be a team effort to stop the Raiders, in addition to stopping Coy.
“I haven’t broken down tape. They have some really wonderful attacking personalities,” she said. “Coy is definitely a scoring threat. She stood out scoring goals. There really is not one player to stop on that time, and it’s going to take a team effort to defend them.
“A big part of our success is going to come by us having the ball and making them have to defend us because that’s the best way to take attacking personalities out of the game.”
In their last game on Saturday, the Terriers challenged Loyola-Maryland (5-8-2, 1-3-2 Patriot League) by getting eight shots off in the second half. Senior midfielder and captain Jamie Turchi had two of the best looks in the 50th and 77th minutes but could not convert.
BU, a team that averages 1.44 goals per game, will look to maintain that same aggressiveness for the entire game Wednesday to create more attacking opportunities against a formidable Raider team. Sophomore goalkeeper Brenna Mason posted her fifth shutout of the season against the Bison. She shared the Patriot League Player of the Week award with Coy.
For Feldman’s squad, it will all be about possessing the ball and having a sense of urgency, she said.
“It all comes down to having the ball so we can create chances to get into the attacking third,” Feldman said. “That’s a big key for our program and for our team the way it is built. We need to have the ball and possess it with some purpose into the final third, and then we need to be on the edge and aggressive by separating ourselves.
“We just have to keep reminding ourselves of the urgency to attack the game from the start, which should be done as a unit. One individual can’t make that happen.”
Doug covers women's soccer and other sports for the Daily Free Press. When he's not doing schoolwork, writing, or being a social butterfly on campus, he enjoys playing the piano, or hitting the course for a round of golf.
