Before the No. 12 Boston University women’s soccer team took the field in front of a crowd of 495 at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. this past Friday, the Terriers (19-3-1, 8-0-0 America East) had lost just two games all season and were riding a 14-game win streak.
But when the final whistle pierced through the chilly November night 90 minutes of gameplay later, the Terriers had suffered their third loss of the season.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons beat BU 2-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring in the final minutes of the game to earn the win. The Terriers’ long win streak, which had lasted through 10 America East Conference games and a handful of nonconference games, came to a halt.
While her team was unable to move into the third round, BU coach Nancy Feldman was happy with how her team performed both in the game and throughout the season.
“Even one hour after the loss, I had no disappointment or regret [with the game or the season],” Feldman said via phone Sunday afternoon. “I felt positive.”
For 74 minutes, BU was able to hold off a constant series of Wake Forest (16-3-4) attacks, including the Demon Deacons’ domination of possession in the opening moments. In the 75th minute, however, Wake Forest was finally able to crack the BU back line and score.
Katie Stengel, who leads Wake Forest in scoring, passed a ball through the Terrier defense to teammate Jackie Logue. Logue was able to put the ball in the net from the far side of the 18-yard-box for her second goal of the year.
Nine minutes later, Stengel was able to ensure the win for Wake Forest by providing a bit of insurance. Rachel Nuzzolese also managed to pass a ball through the Terrier defenders, which Stengel received and broke away with to score.
Senior goalie Alice Binns stopped five additional shots on goal Wake Forest sent her way. From the beginning of the game, Wake Forest occupied the BU end of the field almost constantly. The Terriers’ defense faced numerous attacks throughout the game, something Feldman said was a bit of a challenge for her team, but not something it had not seen before.
“We hadn’t seen the pace of the game like that since the beginning of the season [when BU faced opponents such as Boston College, University of Portland and University of Washington],” Feldman said. “Once we got up to the speed of the game, we got better.”
Despite the Demon Deacons controlling the ball and the pace of the game for most of the contest, the Terriers were able to create a few offensive chances and force Wake Forest goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe to make three saves. Senior midfielder Jessica Luscinski led the team with three shots and one shot on goal, while sophomore forward Madison Clemens and sophomore midfielder Kylie Strom each recorded a shot on goal.
Wake Forest beat Penn State University 4-2 in the third round Sunday afternoon and will play next weekend in the fourth round.
Even though the Terriers failed to make it to the third round for what would have been the first time in program history, Feldman did not hesitate to say this year was the “best season in the history of the program.”
She cited the milestones the team has set this year – including a fifth-straight America East title program-high of 19 wins – and how well they performed as a unit as evidence of why future BU teams will have a high standard to meet.
“They’re a measuring stick now that other [BU] teams in the future will aspire to,” Feldman said.
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