The Boston University women’s soccer team fell short of their first win this season against the University of Rhode Island Rams Saturday afternoon in Kingston, Rhode Island.
Both teams are gearing up for conference play and are looking to build confidence going into next week. The Rams (3-3-2) started the game with an intensity that continued throughout.
Within the first five minutes, BU senior goalkeeper Celia Braun made a big save off of URI senior midfielder Cristina Sallent’s impressive shot from outside the box, which bounced off the post and almost ricocheted into the goal.
On the other side of the pitch, the Terriers (0-6-2) matched this intensity, getting the ball in the back of the net, but it was disallowed due to an offsides call.
With no wins so far this season, the Terriers knew they had to come out strong and challenge the Rams’ offense.
“We have to have pride in our defending and how we compete in our own box,” BU head coach Casey Brown said postgame. “We knew and felt the confidence that we could score goals against this team.”
Despite the Terriers starting off strong in the first half, URI sophomore forward Lauren MacDonald scored the Rams’ first goal off a solid shot into the box assisted by graduate forward Sam Hagerty, putting BU down one.
A defensive miscommunication allowed MacDonald to score another in the box just four minutes after her first goal. Hagerty added another assist to her impressive performance.
Down two and midway through the first half, the Terriers could not sir aggression until junior midfielder Giulianna Gianino gave BU a spark with a successful penalty conversion after a foul in the box on senior defender Hugrún Helgadóttir to make it 2-1. Gianino leads the Terriers this season in scoring with four goals.
With 15 minutes left in the first half, the Terriers could not stop URI sophomore midfielder Courtney Poon as she punted the ball into the back of the net.
Braun made her final save of the first half after an unsuccessful late attempt from the Rams. The Terriers ended the first half down 3-1, but with more offensive momentum than the beginning of the game.
Within the first three minutes of the second half, BU took this energy and converted. Junior forward Margy Porta hit a header into the bottom corner of the goal off a beautiful pass from Helgadóttir.
While the Terriers’ offense stalled a bit with 25 minutes left, their defense was still physical. Offensively, they became more disorganized, booting balls up the field with unsuccessful attempts to break URI’s defensive line.
With nearly 17 minutes left, the Terriers had their first shot on target since the goal at the beginning of the half with an attempt from sophomore midfielder Kaiya Stewart, but she was denied by senior goalkeeper Abby McCarthy.
With nine minutes left, BU had a quadruple substitution, including two new forwards to try to find a final push for that last-minute goal.
The Terriers won a free kick in close range. Junior midfielder Shayla Brown had a great last-minute cross into the box, but McCarthy made an impressive save to deny the Terriers an equalizer, ending the game 3-2.
While the Terriers remain winless, they head into the first conference game next week with more momentum and optimism toward a fresh start.
“I think that we feel a confidence in our team and our style, and I think we’re eager to start Patriot League play because we know everyone is 0-0-0, and there are points at the table to be earned,” Coach Brown said.
The Terriers will travel to Baltimore for their first Patriot League game of the season on Sept. 21 at 12 p.m. against Loyola Maryland.
