The Boston University women’s soccer team rebounded from Thursday’s loss at Stony Brook University with a 1-0 victory over the University of Hartford on a snowy, frigid and windy Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field.
‘We dug out a win ‘-‘- a much needed win in challenging conditions,’ BU coach Nancy Feldman said. ‘We didn’t have many days to recover from the Stony Brook loss, but we got back on the horse and got the win.’
On a day when the turf was slick and players had trouble with their footing, the Terriers (10-5-2, 6-1-0 America East) and the Hawks (4-10-2, 0-5-1 AE) each knew they had to take advantage of any miscues committed by their opponent.
‘It was hard to be precise. You just think that if it’s bad conditions, you’re not going to produce as well,’ Feldman said. ‘But sometimes, mistakes can happen in conditions like these so that can favor the attack. It’s wet on the field, which makes it harder to clear the ball, which can certainly lead to ugly goals in these types of games.’
Hartford maintained most of the possession in the first half and created the game’s first goal-scoring opportunity in the seventh minute. Hartford’s Caitlin Alves’ shot from the left side of the 18-yard box had BU senior goalkeeper Janie Reilly beat, but senior co-captain Mara Osher cleared the ball off the line, keeping the score knotted at 0-0.
Reilly was tested again in the 32nd minute, but she came up with a diving save, punching Hartford’s Laura Guigli’s shot over the goal.
With one minute remaining in the first half, BU had its first real scoring chance when sophomore Brittany Heist’s header, off of a cross from classmate Tiya Gallegos, hit the crossbar.
The Hawks outshot the Terriers, 8-6, in the first 45 minutes, putting three of those shots on goal. The Terriers only managed one shot on frame, which came off of Heist’s header in the 44th minute. BU, however, drew seven corners in the first half, compared to Hartford’s three.
BU took the offensive in the second half, controlling possession, dictating the pace of the game and drawing seven more corners.
BU’s aggressive play in the final third led to the game’s first and only goal.
In the 70th minute, sophomore Jessica Luscinski crossed the ball from outside the box, which ended up bouncing off of Hartford goalkeeper Lauren Brodeur. Three Terriers were around the loose ball in the box, but in the end, it was senior forward Farrell McClernon who cleaned up the mess and pounded the ball into the net, breaking the 0-0 deadlock.
‘[Senior] Taleen [Dimirdjian] picked up a rebound and sent it wide to Jess, who served an awesome ball in. I think [senior] Casey [Brown] and I more or less sandwiched the keeper and the ball just popped out right in front of me,’ McClernon said on the play that resulted in her fourth goal of the year. ‘We dug really hard for that goal and our attack in the second half of the game was potent.’
Luscinski recorded her seventh assist of the season. She’s first on the team with 13 points.
By the game’s end, the Terriers had outshot the Hawks, 17-9, and held a commanding advantage in corner kicks, 14-3.
Reilly and the Terrier defense shut down a Hawks offense that is still having trouble finding the back of the net. Reilly made four saves in her 90 minutes in net, recording her sixth shutout of the season to lead all America East goalkeepers.
In another AE conference game, Stony Brook University lost 2-0 to the University of Albany, propelling BU to the top spot in the league standings.
‘We have a mantra on our team: one game at a time. Our response to a very disappointing result on Thursday was huge and a sign of our experience,’ McClernon said of her team’s performance against Hartford. ‘We reclaimed [the] number one [spot] in AE, and more importantly, we reclaimed our confidence, which I think was shaken a little on Thursday.’
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