Women’s soccer settles for draw vs. Patriot League rival American

Although it would have preferred to record its first road win of the season, the Boston University women’s soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against American University on Saturday at Reeves Field.

Despite taking a total of 20 shots in the game, the Terriers (3-4-3, 1-0-1 Patriot League) only scored once, when sophomore defender Erin Neville headed the ball past American goalkeeper Charlene Belanger in the final moments of the second half. The lone goal was not enough to pull out the win against the Eagles (3-6-1, 0-1-1 Patriot League), who likewise struggled to get scoring chances on the Terrier defense.

“We played pretty well,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “We created a lot of chances, and some parts of the game we dominated. Certainly we’re bummed [with] how the game went. In the second half we were pressing and tried to get a little more aggressive, and that worked out pretty well.

“The kids showed a lot of grit and character to come back and get the tying goal,” Feldman added. “At that point, the momentum was going our way and I thought we had a chance to win it. It’s too bad that we weren’t able to get one of those 20 shots to go in the back of the net, or for one of those corners result in another goal. Overall I was pretty pleased with our effort.”

In the first half, the Terriers took six shots compared to four from American. Three of BU’s shots were on goal, but Belanger saved all three. The Terriers also had five corner kicks in the half, but could not capitalize on any of their opportunities.

Once the second half began, the Terriers’ offense continued to create scoring chances for themselves and put pressure on the Eagles’ back line. Despite the offensive effort from BU, it was American who got on the board first, as freshman Audrey Denkler received a cross from classmate Yari Bradfield and headed the ball past the Terriers senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi in the 75th minute.

Thankfully for the Terriers, their hustle on offense paid off just in time. In the 88th minute, senior midfielder Clare Pleuler took a shot that bounced off the top bar and into the air. The ball was met by Neville, who headed the ball into the net right in front of the goal to send the game into overtime. Feldman was encouraged by the tenacity and aggressiveness on offense from Neville, who led the team with six shots taken.

“She’s a great attacking back,” Feldman said. “The way we play, she has a chance to get involved in the attack, and she’s got some great skills. She got a goal last week and another one today, and it’s a real weapon for us, both [her] and [senior midfielder] Rachel Blauner and [sophomore defender] Alivya Wimmer, they all bring different strength in attack.”

Though the Terriers place a heavy emphasis on attacking from all positions, they also demand a hefty effort on defense.

“The number one job is to defend and do that well, that’s obviously the most important thing for them,” Feldman said. “But the way we play, we demand that they are two-way players and get very involved in the attack. Erin certainly loves to do that, and she does that very well.”

Once overtime began, the Terriers’ offensive attack remained persistent, generating five shots and two corner kicks in the first overtime while American failed to record a shot. In the end, however, it just was not enough to give the Terriers the win. Feldman noted what her team will have to work on before it plays Colgate University on Wednesday.

“The area I think we have to improve on is executing a little more under pressure in attack,” Feldman said. “We did it pretty well at home, but we have to show a little more composure when we’re trying to bring a grittiness and a mentality to fight, and be able to couple that with composure in attacking moments when the execution and confidence and decision-making have to be a little bit sharper. That’s the next step for us, but it’s all moving in the right direction.”