Following a much-needed victory in its home opener Sunday, the Boston University women’s soccer team is set to host Providence College Thursday night. BU is looking to win its second consecutive home game and get on a roll before the start of Patriot League play this weekend.
The Terriers (1-4-2) will have their work cut out for them. Providence (6-2) comes to Boston on the heels of an impressive double-overtime road win against Boston College, one of the Terriers’ closest rivals.
BU snapped its slump this past Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field in a 2-1 overtime victory over Hofstra University. Finishing goals as well as games have been clear struggles for the Terriers thus far during the 2015 campaign.
However, those deficiencies appeared to dissipate on the comfort of their home turf. Sunday’s victory was far from easy for the reigning Patriot League champions, but BU coach Nancy Feldman said it was easily the team’s strongest performance of the season.
“We were able to sustain ourselves during those periods and when they tied the game,” Feldman said. “We were also able to regroup to try to get back to what we were trying to do. It is just a persistence, a will and a confidence.”
Hofstra (5-3), like Providence, excels at the striker position with the ball at their feet. On Sunday, BU dominated the defensive-third, making Hofstra play with its back to the goal the entire game.
“It was a team effort. It sounds cliché but it was,” Feldman said. “It’s a matter of just limiting touches of those attacking personalities, and [we are] trying to do the same thing on Thursday, as Providence has some really talented attacking personalities.”
Before their first win, the Terriers had scored three goals in six games, making it almost impossible to string together some victories. Last week, Feldman stressed the importance of finishing and technique during practice.
Senior attackers Jenna Fisher and Clare Pleuler cashed in on the extra repetition Sunday. Fisher’s cross that led to BU’s first goal and Pleuler’s game-winning long-range blast were definite difference-makers in the victory.
“Clare is a very, very talented attacking player,” Feldman said. “You can sharpen up talent, and repetition brings out confidence in players.”
The offense will be counted on again to pull its own weight, as the defense will have its hands full with a confident Friars squad. Providence has scored an average of 1.5 goals per game this season, while limiting its opponents to 1.12 per contest. Against a team that attempts 13.9 shots per match, it will be important for the Terriers to limit the Friars’ chances and sharpen their defensive attack.
Additionally, Feldman and her squad will look to control the pace and tempo of the game because they know individual efforts will not be enough to win.
“It is a little more to do with the ebbs and flow of the game, and how we are able to maintain ourselves and our play throughout the course of the game,” Feldman said.
Thursday is the perfect time for the Terriers to prove to themselves and their conference that they can play the full 90 minutes on a consistent basis.
“Again it sounds cliché, but we need to keep getting better game to game,” Feldman said. “We can’t think too far ahead and need to stay in the moment.”
