Despite a career-high nine saves from senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi, the Boston University women’s soccer team did not grab their first win of the season Thursday night, dropping a hard-fought overtime game to Northeastern University by a score of 2-1.
The Terriers (0-4-1) gave up 19 shots to the rival Huskies (4-1), yet were able to send the game into overtime after a goal from freshman forward McKenna Doyle. Northeastern would end up getting the last laugh, though, as Husky forward Kayla Cappuzzo blasted a shot off the post and into the net to end the game in the second overtime period. BU is still looking for their first win of the season.
“I’m disappointed for the players,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “They battled and just fought hard the whole match. [There were] some improvements in some areas we’ve worked on, but I’m just real disappointed for them, it was a tough one.”
The Terriers relied heavily on Parisi in the first half of the contest, as Northeastern generated eight shots, seven more than BU. Parisi tallied four saves, some of them in dramatic fashion. Just six minutes into the game, the Terrier goalkeeper punched a shot from midfielder Hannah Lopiccolo away from the net at the last second. She then made another clutch save after charging to the top of the box in the 41st minute.
Although the Terriers continued to struggle on offense during the first half, they negated seven corner kicks from Northeastern and headed into halftime enmeshed in a 0-0 tie. Feldman was very pleased with how Parisi and her defense performed against the Huskies.
“She played great,” Feldman said of Parisi. “Really the whole team defensively extended themselves to deny opportunities. The ones that got through to [Parisi], she handled marvelously, and she’s just been really steady and strong.
“There were a number [of shots] that didn’t get through that were threats [to] our defenders. Our midfielders and our forwards all were digging in to not let Northeastern see any freebies. I thought we did a really good job of denying the ball getting through to Alyssa.”
In the second half, it was more of the same, as the Terriers continued to stop the Huskies’ shot attempts and had difficulty getting offensive looks. In the 64th minute, Northeastern finally broke through, as forward Carly Wilhelm received a ball at the top of the box and chipped it over the head of a charging Parisi for her third goal of the season.
BU fought hard to get back in the game, and was finally rewarded in the 79th minute when Doyle put the ball past Northeastern goalkeeper Nathalie Nidetch on an assist from senior midfielder Clare Pleuler. It was Doyle’s first goal of her collegiate career and the first goal for the Terriers since their season opener against Boston College. Doyle’s production has caught Feldman’s eye in these first few games.
“She started tonight and played a lot of minutes,” Feldman said. “She’s earning playing time just like anybody. If they’re effective and deserving of playing time, they’re going to get playing time and she was terrific.
“She has soaked up everything that has been taught, she is a competitor and an incredibly hard-worker and she doesn’t mind getting dirty, so she really looks like she could be the total package. [She’s] got to get a little stronger physically and have better stamina, but she’s definitely been a bright spot in the early part of the season.”
For the last 10 minutes, both teams put forth valiant efforts to avoid the overtime periods, including a last-second corner kick from Northeastern. At the end of regulation, however, the score remained deadlocked at one, with the Huskies taking 14 shots compared to BU’s four.
In the first overtime period, there were limited scoring opportunities, with only four Northeastern shots taken. It took until the 104th minute for the game to end, when Cappuzzo took a long-distance shot that snuck past a diving Parisi and into the back of the net, marking her third goal of the season.
The Terriers will wait until next Friday to play again, when they will square off against Central Connecticut State University.
Nick is currently writing for the Boston Hockey Blog. In the past, he has served as associate sports editor, and has covered men's and women's cross-country, women's soccer, men's basketball, and men's lacrosse for the Daily Free Press. You can keep track of Nick's exciting life by following him on Twitter at @nikfraz14
