The Patriot League awarded freshman forward Kelly Park of the Boston University women’s soccer team Rookie of the Week on Monday following her weekend strike against the United States Military Academy.
Of the 18 goals the the Terriers (7-10-1, 7-1-0 Patriot League) have netted this season, three have come courtesy of Park.
The San Jose, California native began the season coming off the bench, but when junior forward Christina Wakefield suffered a season-ending injury, Park filled her spot on the pitch.
“Kelly got an opportunity to play a more significant role on game day and has really done a great job with that increased role,” Feldman said. “She’s good material. She’s fit, she’s strong, has worked really hard … and with her preparation for the season and got that early experience and really got up to speed.”
Feldman added that she expects to see more from Park in the postseason and looks forward to seeing what the youngster will bring in the years to come.
“She obviously has an incredible shot she’s a pretty good crosser of the ball,” Feldman said. “There’s a lot of technical tools that Kelly has. We are just scratching the surface of the impact that she’s capable of making.”
Small senior class steps into leadership role
For five players on the team, the final games of their college soccer career are approaching. Each game is a precious opportunity to improve numbers, log minutes and show the younger players exactly how it’s done.
Among those set to graduate, senior defender Rachel Bloznalis and graduate student Rachel Blauner have emerged as consistent contributors for the team.
Not only have they scored two goals each, but they’ve also both been named Patriot League Defender of the Week this year.
Fellow senior forward Erica Kosienski has been a key player in the middle ground all season and netted her first goal of the season against the Black Knights (4-11-2, 2-4-2 Patriot League) this past Saturday.
Senior goalkeeper Bridget Conway is making the most of her time in the spotlight as she played very little during her junior year behind the stellar Alyssa Parisi.
Conway has shown her skills while splitting time with junior Hannah Ciolek, a tactic that has benefitted the team greatly.
But being a senior isn’t just about putting up the numbers. It’s about being a leader, and Feldman said that she is impressed with how each senior has settled into that role.
“This was probably the most challenging season to be a senior leader based on how it started,” Feldman said. “I thought they managed the team and led the team really well and then they hit that part of the season where we weren’t getting the results and I thought they did a marvelous job keeping everybody positive.”
Feldman said she believes that while it took the seniors a while to find the balance between what they wanted and what the team needed, their play has evolved throughout the year.
“I think they are all in a pretty good place,” Feldman said. “Including [senior defender] Ellen Starnes, who doesn’t get a lot of minutes but has to play her role to perfection as someone who stays engaged and is training hard and leading with her voice on the sideline and making sure the bench is supportive. In the minutes she gets, she’s going out there and being at her best.”
The seniors will be key to maintaining the team’s focus and not letting confidence get out of hand amidst their recent success.
“They’ve had to lead when times are tough,” Feldman said, “and now they have to lead when times are better.”
BU defense tops Patriot League
The Terriers have shut down some of the most productive goal-scorers in the league this season. They’ve allowed only five goals in conference play, with that stout defending vaulting them to a league-best goals against average of .63.
Starnes and Bloznalis are the only two seniors on the otherwise-young backline, but their teammates have played with the confidence of veterans lately.
Other than Bloznalis, sophomore defender Libby Closson has recorded the most minutes on the team and junior defender Alivya Wimmer isn’t far behind.
Even Feldman admitted that the defense, which opened the season conceding 21 goals in 10 matches, wasn’t stellar early on, but said her team worked on their weaknesses and the improvement is there.
“You hope at the end of the season you’re better at things then you were at the beginning of the season and I think we’ve gotten better in some of those areas,” Feldman said. “There’s still some things on our list we have to improve on.”
Of course, the play of goalkeepers is an essential part in defending, and Ciolek and Conway have filled the role well. Freshman Emma Heil got to spend some time between the posts in the Terriers’ victory over Army as well.
The three have combined for a 1.44 goals-against average and a 0.708 save percentage on the season.
Feldman attributes the defensive success to working as a unit and being organized from back to front.
“It’s everybody,” Feldman said. “Everyone has a role. The uneducated observer sees the last moments, but the last moments happen because often times the moments in front of them. So it’s all the parts. It’s not one group of players.”
