The Boston University women’s soccer team concluded its season with a 6-0 loss at the hands of No. 6 Pennsylvania State University in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Friday night at Jeffrey Field in Pennsylvania.
The Terriers (13-6-3, 8-0-1 Patriot League) had not allowed more than three goals the entire season, but the Nittany Lions (19-3-2) changed that, proving to simply be the better team.
The Patriot League-champion Terriers entered the match confident after a comeback win against St. Johns University on Nov. 14. Penn State previously won the Big Ten, and came into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
The Nittany Lions have shut out their last five opponents, including BU, bringing their total to 12 on the season. Their biggest win was a 5-0 decision against University at Albany in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but they quickly bettered this with six goals against BU.
“They have some really amazing players,” Feldman said of Penn State. “We have some great players but they have some who are a little bit better. It’s nothing negative against our team. We played great, and up to our abilities. They did everything they could. That’s all you can ask.”
Penn State had three corner kicks in the first ten minutes, and its first shot came soon after. Senior defender McKenzie Hollenbaugh recorded the first shot for the Terriers in the 12th minute.
The Nittany Lions began to gain momentum when they put up three shots in the span of about two minutes. Senior goaltender Alyssa Parisi snagged just one of the shots for her lone save on the night.
After three BU substitutions in the 26th minute, the Nittany Lions got on the board with a goal from forward Frannie Crouse at the 27:23 mark.
Senior midfielder Clare Pleuler would put a shot on net in the 35th minute, but Penn State goaltender Britt Eckerstrom was there to make the save. The Nittany Lions would net another goal right before the conclusion of the half.
“That second goal was hard,” Feldman said. “It was a tough one to swallow but we had hope that if we could get the first goal in the second half, we still had a game.”
BU began the period down by two, but ready to strike. Freshman midfielder Dorrie Varley-Barrett recorded a shot for the Terriers less than two minutes in, but her effort was thwarted by a Penn State defender. The Terriers simply could not get anything going offensively throughout the game.
The Nittany Lion’s leading scorer, sophomore Megan Schafer, scored her 11th goal of the season, putting Penn State up 3-0 in the 55th minute. Just seven minutes later, Penn State struck again, extending its lead to four.
Parisi had yet to give up more than three goals this season. Like all her players, Feldman said, Parisi is proud and doesn’t like to lose.
“I’m sure it was hard to keep poise and composure,” Feldman said of her goaltender.
Junior defender Rachel Bloznalis put up a shot in the 67th minute, but Eckerstrom saved the attempt. Bloznalis and Pleuler had the lone shots on goal for the Terriers.
Penn State would score twice more in the closing seven minutes of the match to seal the victory.
The Nittany Lions outshot the Terriers 22-6, which is uncharacteristic for Feldman’s team. BU averages 13.3 shots a game, 1.68 goals, and have outshot opponents 292-231 throughout the year.
That being said, Penn State is a strong offensive team, averaging 17 shots and 2.46 goals per contest. Six different Penn State players scored against the Terriers, illustrating just how much depth this team has.
Although the Terriers have shut down some potent offensive teams this season, the Nittany Lions were too much for Feldman and her squad to handle.
“All season we never made excuses or pointed fingers,” Feldman said. “Until the very end that’s how they approached playing. What we did well [on Friday] is what we’ve been doing all season: continue to compete and be cohesive.”
