Terriers stifle Crusaders 3-0

The Boston University women’s soccer team dominated College of the Holy Cross Wednesday night in its third Patriot League contest of the season, winning 3-0 over the Crusaders. This victory for the Terriers marks their second in league play as well as their first at home.

This loss for the Crusaders (1-7-3, 1-2 Patriot League) is their second in a row after losing to American University on Saturday.

The match’s first goal came in the 27th minute after junior forward Taylor Krebs showed skillful dribbling to beat her defender down the left side and then crossed into the box toward senior forward Madison Clemens. The ball bounced around the six-yard box, but Clemens managed to turn it in and Krebs was credited with the assist. The goal gave the Terriers (7-3-1, 2-1 Patriot League) an early 1-0 advantage.

Krebs showed leadership throughout the game, as her accurate passing brought fluidity to the team’s possession, and her aggressive runs into the 18-yard box kept the Crusaders’ defenders alert. Her hard work eventually paid off in the 31st minute when she fired the ball into the roof of the goal on her first touch off of a cross from Fisher.

“[Krebs] is pretty happy,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “It’s a great goal. It’s a Taylor Krebs goal: it’s a goal where she’s flying into the box and she beats her defender. It was great one-touch finish.”

Feldman said she was also impressed by the work of Fisher, whose partnership with Krebs on the attack was a large part of the Terriers’ success.

“[Fisher] brings great bite, she has a great engine, and her touch has been better,” Feldman said. “She’s bringing a fierce competitiveness, and she’s balancing that with a composure on the ball. She’s bringing those together which is making her a lot more effective. There have been a few games where the tide has turned when she’s come on, and this was one of those.”

The Crusaders struggled as a team, and had trouble keeping up with the Terriers. Holy Cross registered just five shots, four of which came in the first half. Goalkeeper Carly McCabe, however, was a bright spot as she made eight saves before being substituted for in the 76th minute.

After some stagnant moments in the first half, the Terriers controlled the tempo in the second half while  they maintained possession and were able to create several goal-scoring opportunities.

Clemens converted one of those opportunities into a goal in the 58th minute, her second of the game. Senior midfielder Megan McGoldrick assisted Clemens with a pass, before Clemens caught the Holy Cross defense off guard with a shot from well beyond the 18-yard box.

“I just picked the far post and aimed low and hard,” Clemens said. “I think this week we focused on offense a lot more and connecting the forwards.”

Feldman said that a major reason for the contrast between the first and second halves was BU’s toughness in winning 50-50 balls.

“We get our players [to win those balls] by keeping track,” Feldman said. “[We won] 49 percent in the first half and 70 percent in the second half. Our goal every game is to win 60 percent. A lot of it is attitude, and we make it a priority.”

After the Terrier’s third goal, Feldman made several substitutions. Senior goalkeeper Andrea Green, who has been a key player in BU’s recent games, came out in the 69th minute after only needing to make two saves during the contest. Green was removed for junior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi, who made her third appearance of the season.

“We were able to play into the midfield and we were stronger in separating from them, which gave us more opportunities in the final third [of the field],” Feldman said. “Goals aren’t just going to come, you have to make them happen, and I think we finally did that tonight.”