Women’s soccer dispatches American in Sunday match

For the second time in as many games, the Boston University women’s soccer team put together a dominant performance against a Patriot League opponent, downing American University 3-0 on Senior Day Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field.

With the win, the Terriers (11-4-3, 5-1-2 ) moved into a tie for second place in the Patriot League standings, just two points behind Colgate University . The top two teams in the final conference standings will receive a first-round bye in the Patriot League tournament.

“I thought we played well for 90 minutes,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “I thought it was the second game in a row where we dictated the tempo from start to finish. The starters started off really well and we re-established that in the second half…. I thought we did a good job of slamming the door and then finishing it off.”

Against the Eagles (3-14, 0-8 Patriot League) Sunday afternoon, BU dominated possession from the opening whistle. Much like in its Wednesday night win over the Raiders (12-2-2, 6-1-1 Patriot League), the Terriers pressured their opponent on all ends of the field.

After holding court in the Eagles’ defensive half, senior defender Ariana Aston earned the first solid scoring opportunity for the Terriers in the 14th minute when she let loose a powerful shot from outside the 18-yard box that forced American goalkeeper Charlene Belanger to make a save.

“We’ve definitely been focusing on trying to come out hard in the beginning of games instead of having to pick it up midway through when something bad happens,” senior forward Taylor Krebs said of the team’s fast start.

In the 25th minute, BU’s high pressure got the best of the Eagles. Senior midfielder Jamie Turchi blocked a clearance attempt, redirecting the ball to Krebs in the center of the box. Krebs then slotted home the finish for her fourth goal of the season.

Aside from a free-kick opportunity in the 33rd minute, the Eagles failed to break through the Terriers’ dominant back line. Offensively, the Terriers kept up the pressure. Junior midfielder McKenzie Hollenbaugh , junior midfielder Rachel Blauner and freshman forward Christina Wakefield each got shots off, but none of them made their way past Belanger and BU went into halftime leading 1-0.

Despite the slim advantage on the scoreboard, the Terriers heavily dominated the stats sheet. In the first half of play, BU outshot American 8-1 and earned three corners to the Eagles’ none.

American spent the first few minutes of the second frame inside the Terriers’ defensive half, but BU was quickly able to regain control of the game. Starting in the 50th minute, the Terriers unleashed a series of shots, highlighted by an attempt from senior Ana Cuffia that flew past Belanger, but hit off the goal post.

In the 54th minute, Cuffia’s third try of the half hit off of Belanger and bounced right in front of the open net. Junior forward Jenna Fisher collected the rebound and calmly placed the ball into the net to extend BU’s advantage to 2-0.

Feldman praised the play of both Krebs and Cuffia, who have stepped up in place of injured sophomore forward and reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Erica Kosienski, whom Feldman said could be out for the remainder of the season.

“[Cuffia] didn’t score the goals the last two nights, but she has upped the intensity with which she’s playing, and that has created chances for her and for others,” Feldman said. “The reality is, we have to make up some goal scoring production from Erica Kosienski. That is a reality. [Cuffia and Krebs] can do that and they need to do it, because we need it. “

For the next several minutes, the BU defense did its best to quell a surging American attack. For the first time all afternoon, the Eagles were able to maintain consistent possession and nearly found their way past the BU defense. However, the Terriers’ defensive line, captained by senior Kai Miller held strong and limited the visitors to a single shot attempt off of a corner kick in the 77th minute.

The Terriers erased any thoughts of an American comeback in the 81st minute, when sophomore forward Alexandra Cooper collected the ball near midfield, found space and dribbled with speed towards the penalty box. Cooper sent the ball to sophomore forward Alex Schlobohm , who hit a one-touch pass to junior midfielder Clare Pleuler , who finished the chance to put BU up 3-0.

With the game firmly in hand, Feldman was able to call off Krebs, Miller, Turchi, Cuffia, senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi, senior midfielder Katherine Lim and senior forward Dara DeMatteo , all of whom received standing ovations.

“Our confidence is definitely building, but we know that every game is a battle,” Krebs said. “That’s what this year has shown and no team can be underestimated so we’re going to come out hard and keep fighting and hopefully win the Patriot League tournament and go to NCAAs.”