The Boston University women’s soccer team will play its final regular season match Sunday on the road vs. the United States Naval Academy.
Although the Terriers (9-5-3, 7-0-1 Patriot League) clinched the top spot in the Patriot League after securing their fourth straight shutout last Saturday, they have one more game before they host the Patriot League Tournament.
BU is unbeaten in league play, but Navy (10-5-4, 3-1-4 Patriot League) will be its toughest opponent yet.
Navy is third in the standings, but should be higher if not for four games that went into double overtime and resulted in a tie. If the Midshipmen had won two of those games, they would be tied for second in the league. In short, their record and rank do not represent how strong of a team they are.
BU coach Nancy Feldman recognizes that the match will test her team’s abilities.
“It’ll certainly be a challenge,” Feldman said. “One, it’ll be away. Two, it’s against a top team in the Patriot League. And three, they’re playing for something. They’ll be motivated. It’s their Senior Day so there is another added element of enthusiasm.”
The Midshipmen have the most productive offense amongst all Patriot League teams. They have the highest points, goals and assists. However, BU ranks right below Navy in the number two spot in all of these categories.
Thanks to strong players like striker Clare MacAdam, Navy puts up 16.3 shots a game and averages 2.4 goals per game. Only a sophomore, MacAdam leads the league in points with 26, seven points ahead of the second place player.
Feldman said she knows her team will have to work hard to shut down Navy’s offense.
“We’ll do it the way we’ve been doing it,” she said. “As soon as we lose possession, no matter where it is, we work on transitioning really quickly. Can we win it right back? Can we defend in their half of the field? If our attack has kept the ball well enough, when we lose it, [Navy] are still 80 yards or so from their goal.”
Similarly to Navy, BU doesn’t rely on one player to score goals. Freshman forward McKenna Doyle leads the team with six goals, but 12 of her teammates have netted a goal this season, too. Seven Terriers have scored game-winning goals, proving they can generate offense when it’s needed most.
Feldman said one of her team’s strengths is its depth.
“Multiple players can play significant minutes,” she said. “It’s been important for us to get to this point. It’s seamless when we sub off the bench. Our team has learned how to be consistent in their game performance. They’ve learned how to manage their emotion and be efficient in their efforts.”
BU’s recent shutouts and consistent success earned them the league’s lowest goals-against average at a 0.89 mark. Navy ranks fourth, giving up an average of 1.21 goals per game. BU’s senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi is arguably the best in the league with a 0.75 goals-against average.
Although her team has already secured the top spot in the league, Feldman said this game is still very important.
“We put significance on it for a couple of reasons,” she said. “We set goals at the beginning of the season, and one was to be undefeated in the conference. We pay attention to our rating in the NCAA. Right now it’s in the 70s. We want to get it as low as possible and keep the needle moving forward in our rating. If we qualify for the NCAA [Tournament], it becomes important for seeding.”
The Terriers are ranked 75th in the nation in RPI. However, before they can worry about the NCAA Tournament, they need to focus on the Patriot League Tournament.
“We want to go into the tournament with momentum,” Feldman said. “We have the momentum, we want to keep it. Most of it is playing well. If you approach the game right, prepare right [and] play your best soccer, the results take care of themselves.”
