Women’s soccer prepping for road match against Loyola

With just four games remaining on the 2014 regular-season schedule, the Boston University women’s soccer team will face off against Loyola University-Maryland in Baltimore Saturday.

BU (9-3-3, 3-0-2 Patriot League) will look to extend its win streak to four games as potential Patriot League postseason play approaches.

BU, currently 3-1-1 on the road this season, faced off against Loyola (4-8-2, 0-3-2 Patriot League) on Oct. 19, 2013 at Nickerson Field, defeating the Greyhounds by a score of 1-0.

While the Terriers are currently riding a stretch of good play, facing off against an opponent on the road does present its challenges, said BU coach Nancy Feldman.

“You’re not in your own bed, you’re eating the food that’s put in front of you and you’re in a facility and locker room that you’re not comfortable in,” she said. “We have focused on being a very tough team to play when we travel. If you have a strong mind, strong will and belief system, I think that’s part of establishing who you are. We approach those games with a level of focus even though its not always comfortable and even though it’s in a new environment.”

In the Terriers’ last Patriot League game against Lafayette College on Saturday, BU recorded 13 shots, with six reaching the back of the net. BU’s increased ability to convert offensive chances into scoring opportunities will remain important going into Saturday’s tilt. Loyola goalkeeper Colleen Folan has helped the Greyhounds earn six shutouts, third in the Patriot League and has amounted 51 saves.

“The offensive success comes when all the other parts of the game are working well,” Feldman said. “That is something we have preached for years. What we’ve tried to do is establish and imprint our style defensively and offensively so that we’re all playing in the same direction at the same time. You get to have a little bit better control of the game, control of the tempo and style because you’re dictating it.”

Players at all positions have helped BU increase its offensive production. Senior defender Kai Miller netted a goal against Lafayette (4-8, 1-4 Patriot League), while senior midfielder Jamie Turchi had two shots on goal Tuesday against Dartmouth College, one of which reached twine to stand as the difference in BU’s 1-0 victory.

“There’s five or six steps, or even seven or eight, to generate the kind of attacks that will create scoring opportunities and goals,” Feldman said.

Feldman also recognized that her team’s communication has improved, which has increased the confidence of the players on the field.

“We continue to try to hand the keys to the players because they’re the ones that ultimately are in the battle,” she said. “We have to train them to be ready to react, analyze and evaluate. I like them to feel more confident now that they know what to do. If they don’t pick the right choice, as the saying goes, just make the choice confidently.”

While there are still many games for the Terriers to play, Feldman said the team is fully fixated on trying to earn a berth into the conference tournament and receive the highest possible seed.

“We have to focus now on putting ourselves in a position to get in the tournament,” she said. “I think that getting in and trying to be a top seed, one or two, is a very advantageous position because you do not have to play a quarterfinal game. Saturday is the most important game on our schedule. It gives us a chance to get more points.”