Entering into their fifth straight America East Conference championship, one may think the Boston University women’s soccer team has Saturday’s game against the University at Albany in the palm of its hands.
Yet, despite such a reassuring record, there are five major elements to look out for on Saturday that could either add or detract from the Terriers’ (17-2-1, 8-0-0 America East) success.
First and foremost, the greatest threat to another championship win for the Terriers is the Great Danes’ (9-9-1, 5-2-1 America East) outstanding defense. Winning, seven of its last eight matches, Albany has stepped up its game since they last played and lost to BU in late September.
“[Albany players] are very athletic and very fast. They have players that can be a threat on the defense,” BU head coach Nancy Feldman said. “They’ve scored a lot of goals in the last six or seven games [as] their attackers are very quick.”
The Terriers could certainly be at a disadvantage without one of their best in senior midfielder Jessica Luscinski. As of Thursday morning, there was no word on whether she will be back on her feet and well enough to play in the championship match. Since BU faced Binghamton University last weekend, Luscinski has been fighting a case of pneumonia that could potentially prevent her from playing in her last collegiate game.
Sophomore midfielder Kylie Strom will certainly be taking the field Saturday afternoon and will undoubtedly be one of the most instrumental players of the match, if not the season. Strom is in second place on the team for goals scored this season with seven goals as well as three assists and started in sixteen games this season.
“If you don’t watch the game carefully, you’ll miss how much she does for the team,” Feldman said. “She’s been an under the radar for us. If she didn’t play on a day-to-day basis, we wouldn’t be where we are…She has an ability—what we’ll see in the future—the ability to take over a game.”
Another player to be keep an eye out for is sophomore forward Madison Clemens. With five goals on the season, her latest against Binghamton last weekend, Clemens has suddenly become a greater threat on the field than previously in the season.
“She has a really, really terrific shot, a cannon of a shot. She’s learning how to play the game at a higher level,” Feldman said. “She has a lot of strength, a lot of natural ability [which makes her] able to do the things she does.”
Rounding out the five most important things to look for at Nickerson Field this Saturday at 1 p.m.: that consistent team effort that the Terriers have worked toward all season. With regular aspiration to play a consistent ninety-minute game and achieve greater penetration with their shots on goal, there is no doubt that the championship will be a culmination of all of their progress.
Following Sunday’s match against Binghamton, Feldman said with no reservations, “We’ll be ready for them.”
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