The Boston University women’s soccer team is still in search of its first win after a two-game road trip in Virginia this past weekend. The Terriers (0-8) head back home following a 2-0 loss to James Madison University on Friday and 3-0 defeat at the hands of No. 18 Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon.
The Terriers put up 14 shots, nine on goal, but ultimately could not get past either Dukes (2-6) goalkeeper on Friday night.
Redshirt junior Maggie Buxton started in net for the Dukes, and freshman Hannah McShea took her place for the second half. The two combined for nine saves, while Terriers goalie Hannah Ciolek played the full 90 minutes and contributed four saves.
In the seventh minute, James Madison forward Ashley Herndon netted her third goal of the season, giving her side the early 1-0 lead.
BU had chances to come back against the Dukes, with sophomore forward McKenna Doyle, sophomore defender Chelsea Churchill and senior forward Erica Kosienski all challenging Buxton with at least one shot in the opening half.
The Dukes held strong, and with about 10 minutes left in the half, sophomore Steffi Page slipped the ball by Ciolek for the two-goal advantage.
Defensively, the Terriers’ level of play increased significantly in the second half. Senior defender Rachel Bloznalis and the rest of the BU backline conceded just five shots to the Dukes and kept them scoreless through the final 45 minutes.
BU head coach Nancy Feldman said the first half was one of her team’s poorest performances to date.
“We lacked organization, communication and conviction,” Feldman said. “The first half put us on our heels and the other team took advantage of that. For the second half, they refocused, came up with a plan and held each other accountable.”
On Sunday, BU fell to the Hokies (7-1), who average 2.38 goals per contest. Despite the loss, Feldman said she was proud of the way her team fought against fierce competition.
“We knew we were up against a tough challenge,” Feldman said. “But we limited their chances; we even created a couple. Some individuals really extended themselves.”
Similar to Friday’s matchup, the Terriers faced a one-goal deficit less than 10 minutes into the game after junior Alani Johnson scored her fifth goal of the season to put the Hokies up 1-0.
Virginia Tech’s second goal came in the 44th minute as sophomore Anissa Dadkhah netted her first of the year to extend her side’s halftime lead to 2-0.
The Terriers simply didn’t create enough opportunities in the first half, taking just three shots.
BU recorded the first two shots of the second half, but the home side quickly responded with two of its own, not letting BU sniff a comeback. In total, the Hokies outshot the Terriers by a 24-8 margin.
Capitalizing on offensive opportunities has been an issue for the Terriers this season. Feldman said that in order to convert shots to goals, her team needs to create more opportunities, separate themselves a bit more, and get deeper into the box.
In the 55th minute, BU made substitutions in hopes of limiting the Hokies’ offense, but these only backfired. Shortly after the substitutions, Hokies’ junior Madi Conyers barrelled past the Terrier defense and extended her team’s lead to 3-0 with a left-footed strike past Ciolek.
After Virginia Tech’s third goal, Feldman made the decision to pull Ciolek and put in senior keeper Bridget Conway. Conway, who was recently cleared to play after battling an injury these past few weeks, made one save in 28 minutes.
Despite the 0-8 start, Feldman is confident her team can learn from these losses and start collecting wins.
“Three out of the four halves we played good quality soccer,” Feldman said, “and I think that can lead us to victories down the road.”
