Boston University women’s soccer (4-5-1) defeated Stony Brook University (6-4-0) in a 2-0 shutout victory Wednesday night at Nickerson Field. This win was the fourth consecutive out of a four-game homestand for the Terriers, who seem to be gaining momentum steadily.
The first and arguably the most important goal of the game was scored in the 36th minute by Caitlyn DiSarcina, a sophomore who transferred to BU this season. She broke away from defenders and had a clear shot that was well outside the penalty box. The play seemed to occur in slow motion, as the strong kick flew toward Seawolves junior goalkeeper Sofia Manner who grasped the ball for a moment before it squeaked away from her into the back of the net.
“I was excited. I was itching for one, so it came at a good time while we were rolling” DiSarcina said.
After scoring her first goal of the season, she is still focused on the remainder of the season. “We’re focusing on the next game, day by day,” DiScarina said.
By looking at the score it would appear that the Terriers dominated the game, but that was not the case, at least in the first half. Stony Brook came out in full attack mode, pressuring BU when possible and getting several shots on net. In the extremely fast paced start the Seawolves put up six shots within the first 15 minutes, a few of which that should have put Stony Brook up.
“We had some mental lapses that gave them opportunity that I think they could have taken more advantage of” head coach Nancy Feldman said after the game.
Junior Amanda Fay made a few remarkable saves that made fans jump out of their seats. One of these was in the second half, when a ball was shot low at the ground which should have evened the score in the 48th minute. Fay made a diving stop, palming the ball to the ground with ease.
“She came out, punched the ones she should punch, caught the ones she should catch, made a couple of really good saves” Feldman said. “You need great goalkeeping to win and we’re getting great goalkeeping from Amanda and from Morgan.”
The second half had a much different pace than the first. As it wore on, the game started to slow down, with fewer point blank opportunities at the net. Stony Brook’s midfielder Kimmy Chavkin took her chance on a free kick just outside the penalty box that looked destined to go in, but was skillfully saved by Fay, who punched it over the top of the crossbar to safety.
The half was certainly physical and seemed to have an effect on both teams when the pace slowed around the 70th minute. However, this worked in favor of the Terriers, who scored their second goal in the 81st minute off of a nice touch from freshman Julianna Stureman, which sailed over the outstretched arms of the Seawolve goalkeeper from a far distance, about halfway between the penalty box and midfield.
“We dictated some parts or many parts of the game as far as playing the game that we wanted to play” Feldman said. “I thought we had some quality, purposeful attacks.”
The underclassmen have started the season well, scoring most of the goals thus far and have raised the expectations amongst the coaching staff.
“I expect them to keep on growing up fast,” Feldman said. “I think these games, if I do it right, keep building confidence, but also we need to learn from them.”
The game ended in the Terrier’s favor with the score 2-0 and the shots 17-14 with the advantage to BU. Feldman spoke of the lapses in the Terriers’ performance and hoped to have them ironed out before the interconference matchup against Bucknell University (3-6-0), (1-0 PL) this Saturday, where BU will start their two-game road trip.
“Certainly winning helps build confidence and I think we’re starting to see our style of play and how we want to play the game come together a little bit,” Feldman said. “It’s not consistent, we have lapses … but I think we’re creating chances.”
