What a way to start off its self-proclaimed second season.
The Boston University women's soccer team began its pursuit of a fourth straight America East conference title on the right foot Sunday afternoon, cruising to a commanding 2-0 victory over the University of New Hampshire at Nickerson Field to open up conference action.
"At the beginning of conference [play], everyone's even," said junior forward Jessica Luscinski. "Everyone is tied for first and just being able to come out and get our first win is just a great thing before we have to go to the road."
Fifteen minutes into the contest, BU (6-5-0, 1-0 AE) nearly made it a one-nil game early on when senior tri-captain Corie Halasz ripped a shot from about 30 yards out that smacked the crossbar. Graduate student Lisa Kevorkian then headed the rebound over the net, much to the relief of UNH (4-5-2, 0-1) goalkeeper Erica Correa.
But Kevorkian would redeem herself less than four minutes later. Freshman midfielder Emma Clark sent a beautiful through ball &- right down the throat of the Wildcats defense &- that found an unmarked Kevorkian on the receiving end.
Facing a one-on-one opportunity with Correa, Kevorkian calmly deposited the ball into the left-side netting for her team-leading seventh goal of the season, giving the Terriers a 1-0 edge in the 20th minute.
"It was a turnover in midfield that Emma Clark just had a really good tackle and I felt the defense was out of position so I just saw an entry pass," Kevorkian said of the play that led up to her goal. "I tried not to be offsides because this team has a tendency to pull that trap, so I just ran across the line and darted through. It was a great weighted pass, took a couple of touches and found a corner."
BU almost doubled its lead multiple times in the first half as the Terriers relentlessly hounded the Wildcats in their defensive side of the pitch.
Positioned in front of a UNH defender, sophomore forward Adrienne Anderson received a pass in the 18-yard box, faked as if she was going right, immediately turned to her left and unleashed a low shot that Correa punched out of bounds in the 23rd minute.
With less than three minutes to play in the first stanza, senior tri-captain Shauna Kelleher uncorked a shot inside the 18-yard box that would have slid into the back of the net if it weren't for the outstretched hands of Correa.
By the end of the first half, BU had blitzed Correa with 15 shots &- seven of them on target &- and drawn six corners. UNH, on the other hand, barely got a sniff of goal in the first 45 minutes of regulation, as it tested freshman goalkeeper Kelly King with only three shots and managed just one corner kick.
The second half was the same as the first &- the Terriers controlled 70 percent of the possession, bombarded Correa with 15 more shots, held a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks and stifled any looks the Wildcats had at goal. UNH midfielder Stephanie Gilkenson did force junior goalkeeper Alice Binns to make one stop during her time in net in the second frame.
"During halftime, we just really wanted to make sure we came out the second half, set our tempo and make sure we step our play up to a whole different level," Luscinski said. "Being able to keep the play going at a high level the whole second half showed just really how strong of a team we can be."
In the 50th minute, Luscinski converted a free kick from 22 yards away &- after Kevorkian was fouled near the right sideline &- that zipped into the top right corner of the goal, leaving Correa frozen on her line and padding BU's cushion to two goals.
Toward the end of the game, the Wildcats gained more confidence and pushed more players forward, searching for that first goal that could turn the contest around. Gilkenson recorded UNH's first shot on goal of the match in the 86th minute, but it was too little, too late.
"We have to play 90 minutes against conference teams," said BU coach Nancy Feldman. "Any moment, they have a corner kick late in the game, it's 2-0 and they put that in, it's entirely different. The way we play, they way we own the territory and the way we own the ball has a cumulative effect to break teams down."
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