Women’s soccer kicks off Patriot League Tournament with Loyola

Fresh off an undefeated Patriot League regular season, the Boston University women’s soccer team will look to keep its success going in the Patriot League Tournament, as the Terriers square off against Loyola University Maryland on Friday afternoon at Nickerson Field.

Thanks to an 8-0-1 conference record, the Terriers (10-5-3) earned the No. 1 seed, home field advantage and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The No. 4 seeded Greyhounds (6-9-2, 4-4-1 Patriot League) beat Colgate University by shootout in the quarterfinal game to advance.

The winner of this game will move on to the championship game on Sunday, where they will battle either the No. 3 seed United States Naval Academy or No. 2 seed Bucknell University.

With all the advantages obtained by clinching the top spot, the Terriers are the clear favorites to repeat as Patriot League champions. This, in large part, is due to the Terriers nation-best streak of 34 home conference games without a loss.

“I think they’re feeling pretty good,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “They feel that they’ve kind of found their formula for success, and I think that always brings confidence when you have everything working.”

Friday’s matchup will be the second time that the Terriers and Greyhounds go head-to-head this season. Their first game on Oct. 3 was a resounding 4-1 victory for BU, where the Terriers held Loyola to one shot. Freshman forward McKenna Doyle tallied two goals in the game, with junior forward Alex Schlobohm and senior forward Jenna Fisher scoring a goal apiece.

That game was one of three this year where the Terriers notched at least four goals. Despite their success in that game, Feldman noticed some parts of the match that her team could improve on come Friday.

“I think there were some takeaways,” Feldman said. “We know they have some really attacking offensive players in [seniors] Rosy Hayes and Charlotte Miller. They’re [also] really solid defensively, and their goalkeeper just won a shootout.

“So they’ve got some good players, they’re going to be formidable and very well-organized,” Feldman added. “There were some takeaways from the last game, some of the things we did well, that we’re going to try and do it again. But we know there are a few ways we can tighten up in some areas.”

One possible concern for the Terriers heading into the semifinals could be the offensive play of Fisher. The senior forward has notched zero points in the past three games, after totaling seven points in the two previous games.

However, Feldman is not concerned about Fisher’s lack of points as all, as she knows that anyone on her team can step up offensively on any given day.

“Jenna is a very key member of our attack, she’s a possession player who gets behind the defense and she defends like a champ,” Feldman said. “So it really isn’t about whether she’s scored goals or gotten assists, those things take care of themselves when the team is playing as a unit and the individual is bringing their strengths.

“So I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to that, she’s not off track one bit,” Feldman added. “And when she gets her opportunities tomorrow, I’m confident she’ll be able to make something happen.”