When the Boston University women’s soccer team takes on arch-rival Boston College at 7 p.m. on Nickerson Field tonight, bragging rights will not be BU’s sole motivation for victory. The Terriers look to return to their winning ways after a three-game skid in hopes of inching their record closer to the .500 mark.
BU (3-5-1, 1-0-0 America East) is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to undefeated Princeton University last Sunday. Sophomore midfielder Ashley Chassar put BU on the board in the second half with her first collegiate goal. The lead was short-lived, however, when Princeton midfielder Kristina Fontanez tied the game less than two minutes later.
The tie held for the remainder of regulation, sending the game into overtime. forward Esmeralda Negron scored the game-winning goal for Princeton 1:33 into the extra frame to improve Princeton’s record to 7-0-0.
The Princeton loss came after two straight shutout defeats to Colorado College and the University of Rhode Island. BU has scored only one goal during the three-game losing streak while allowing five.
Despite the current skid, BU Coach Nancy Feldman sees some positives from the recent losses.
“I felt pretty good about how we played during the last few games,” Feldman said, “We’re playing at the top of our game even though we’re not getting results.”
Feldman will look to a combination of players to curb the team’s scoring woes. Freshman forward Meghann Cook, an America East Rookie of the Week honoree earlier in the season, is BU’s leading scorer with six points on three goals. Junior forward Katie Chen and junior tri-captain Rebecca Beyer are tied for second in scoring on the team with three points apiece on one goal and one assist. Senior tri-captain Allison Merkle, senior forward Tiffany Chag and Chassar have also found the back of the net so far this season.
BU’s defense must play well in the match-up with BC. Junior goalkeeper Jessica Clinton has been steady in goal for BU with a 1.43 goals against average and .783 save percentage. She will have to be at her best tonight, as BC has suffered only two shutout losses this season while scoring an average of 1.6 goals per game.
BC (5-4-1, 1-3-0 Big East) heads down Commonwealth Avenue as winners of only one of its last four games. The Eagles outlasted Providence College, 1-0, in double overtime last Sunday behind a goal from junior Sarah Rahko. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for BC and earned them its first conference win. Rahko’s goal came with only 4:23 left in the game and gave BC its first overtime win of the season. With the win, the Eagles also moved their record above the .500 mark.
BC is lead by sophomore Laina Ceddia’s 13 points on five goals and three assists. Rahko leads the Eagles with six assists and is second on the team with ten points. Senior forward Katherine Halloran has also contributed four goals and one assist for nine points to the BC offense.
In net for BC, freshman goalkeeper Kate Taylor has played well in her first season. Taylor allows 1.18 goals per game and posts a .745 save percentage. She is also fourth in the Big East in shutouts with four in the season.
In practice lately, BU has worked on a variety of components, according to Feldman.
“We have been recreating game pressure and finishing on our opportunities,” Feldman said. “We’re working to play our tempo, our rhythm and possessing in the attack.”
Finishing scoring opportunities and possessing in the attack are important if BU wants to go into the bulk of its conference schedule on a winning note. In addition to defending its title, the two-time defending America East champions now realize the conference championship holds even more significance.
“We may only be able to rely on the conference bid as a way of getting into the [NCAA] postseason,” Feldman said.
The tough out-of-conference schedule has dipped BU’s record below .500, virtually eliminating the team from an at-large NCAA tournament bid. The losses, however, have prepared BU well for the important conference games.
“We take the season in segments,” Feldman said, “We are in segment three now: BC, the University of New Hampshire, and Dartmouth College. We want to right the ship and get our record better than .500. I feel we are moving in the right direction.”
A win against BC tonight will move BU’s record closer to .500 and certainly right the ship on the right course for the rest of the season.
After tonight’s game, BU heads to the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 4 and Dartmouth College on Oct. 6. The Terriers then return to Nickerson Field for a two-game homestand against the State University of New York at Stony Brook on Oct. 11 and Harvard University on Oct. 15.