Sixteen shots failed to find the back of the net for Boston University women’s soccer, who surrendered a chance at first place in the Patriot League in their 1-0 loss to the College of the Holy Cross at Nickerson Field.
After scoring 11 goals over a four-game unbeaten run coming into Wednesday’s game, BU (6-5-3, 3-2-1 Patriot League) put nine of their 16 shots on goal but could not defeat the Crusaders (4-4-5, 2-1-3 PL) and their junior goalkeeper Julia Walsh, who recorded eight saves. It was the Terriers’ first scoreless game since their 1-0 loss to Loyola-Maryland in the conference opener on Sept. 16.
BU was aggressive and convincing early, right up until their shots left their feet. Sophomore forward Natalie Godoy navigated to a wide open pocket within the six-yard box in the game’s second minute, but her first-time strike was tame.
A minute later, Godoy’s hold-up play led to a pass that slipped junior forward Morgan Fagan through on goal, but her shot only forced a routine save.
The Terriers probed and fired at goal for the next 87 minutes, but they did not create chances as clear as the first two that evaded them.
After the Terriers put six shots on target in the first half-hour, it was the Crusaders’ first, a deep free kick from junior defender Grace Soltesz, that broke the deadlock with a deflection in the box.
What looked like an errant cross ended up as the first goal of Soltesz’s 29-game collegiate career.
“It’s really unfortunate, the goal we gave up,” BU head coach Casey Brown said. “We were really in control of the match, the game, the ball, opportunities, but when you leave a game open like that and the [opposing] team waits for something like that to happen.”
BU, precise and cohesive in possession in the first half, were disconnected and starved of ideas in the second. Slow, confident build-ups became rushed and inaccurate long passes.
“The style of the game completely changed in the second half,” Brown said. “[The Crusaders] get to manage the game because they have the lead, so it hurt our rhythm.”
BU’s two wide attackers, Fagan and senior forward Abigail McNulty, found the team’s best chances in a seven-shot second half. McNulty was played in behind by a brilliant flick-on from Godoy in the 64th minute, and her cross attempt was deflected towards goal by a Crusader defender before being cleared off the line.
Fifteen minutes later, Fagan received a perfectly weighted through ball inside the box from sophomore midfielder Giulianna Gianino, but her attempt was easily snuffed by Walsh.
Beyond those two moments, though, Fagan and McNulty struggled to create space off the dribble in the second half after routinely finding daylight in the first.
The two swapped wings throughout the second period, after remaining fixed in their positions — Fagan on the right and McNulty on the left — to open the game. The switch put the preferred striking foot of both on the inside, allowing them to cut in towards goal and shoot on their stronger foot.
“I was trying to jumpstart something,” Brown said of her decision to rotate her two wide attackers. “I was looking at matchups. We were trying to figure out what we could do to try to jumpstart a little bit more of the attack.”
Fagan and McNulty have contributed to a combined six goal contributions this season. McNulty scored three of BU’s seven goals in their two games before Wednesday.
Both Fagan and McNulty were consistently involved in a BU attack that controlled the game. But the Terriers left without a goal, or a point in the standings, to show for it.
“We felt like we started the game really strong, but we have to be able to separate ourselves from teams,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do that early or soon enough.”
BU’s failure to separate themselves on the field cost them a direct chance at first place in the Patriot League. Now, Brown’s team has to separate themselves from third place, too.
The Terriers will travel to face Bucknell on Saturday at 1 p.m. with sole possession of second place on the line.
“We’ll take it and move forward,” Brown said. “Onward we go.”
