Women’s soccer returns home to battle Lafayette

The Boston University women’s soccer team will return to Nickerson Field Saturday for a head-to-head matchup with Patriot League opponent Lafayette College.

The Terriers (7-3-3, 2-0-2 Patriot League) just wrapped up a three-game road trip by topping Harvard University 2-1 in a double-overtime thriller Wednesday. BU is on a five-game unbeaten streak.

After losing four games in a row, the Leopards (4-7, 1-3 Patriot League) finally broke the trend Saturday with a 3-2 double-overtime win over the College of the Holy Cross at home.

Last season, the Terriers posted a 2-0 win over the Leopards on Oct. 12, 2013 in Easton, Pennsylvania, en route to an eventual Patriot League championship.

While the Leopards rank last in the conference in shots, Lafayette still boasts several offensive threats. Seniors Alyssa Finelli and Jaclyn Giordano are tied for the team lead in goals with three. Senior Alex Reisinger and sophomore Kaelin King also have played strongly for the Leopards on offense, combining for two goals and five assists.

BU coach Nancy Feldman said she hopes her team can match the Leopards’ efforts from Wednesday’s game.

“We played a great game Wednesday night,” Feldman said. “I think our focus now is on consistently repeating that, no matter the conditions or the opponents.

“We need more consistency in the physicality category, our composure and speed of play and the consistency we individually commit to defending and doing the little things.”

BU is tied for second in the Patriot League standings with Lehigh University, who BU played to a 1-1 draw Saturday. Junior forward Jenna Fisher has been on fire for the Terriers, having scored a goal in four of the team’s last five games. Fisher ranks second in the league in goals per game.

In addition, sophomore forward Erica Kosienski has finally found her groove, scoring goals in each of the Terriers’ last two matchups, including the game-winning goal against Harvard (6-3-2) in the 105th minute.

“Confidence has been part of the team’s success,” Feldman said. “Once the team finds confidence and the formula for success, they get a feel for that. They become more consistent. They repeat it. It’s not easy. But once you start to play with confidence, you start to get used to it. It becomes a habit.

“There are signs that we are getting there, and I hope that’s the case. I’ve seen positive signs over the last couple of weeks that we’re starting to develop the chemistry and trust and an idea of what we’re trying to accomplish as a group.”

Feldman said she and her team are happy to be coming back to Nickerson Field for a two-game homestand.

“We love playing at home,” Feldman said. “We feel comfortable here, like we have an advantage. We know our surface. We train on it everyday, and we love playing in front of our fans.”

Feldman also said she is impressed with her team’s improved performances on the road thus far.

“One thing that I’ve noticed this year is we’ve become an even better road team,” Feldman said. “I think that’s a good personality trait. It’s great to be dominant at home, but if you can’t pull out points and wins in away contests, you’re not gonna go very far.”

While the Patriot League tournament is still less than a month away, Feldman acknowledged that she’s been pleased with her team’s track record against conference opponents this season.

“We’ve seen this season and what our best game can look like. I think what we need to improve on is being able to repeat that no matter who the opponent, the playing time, the location, the meaning of the match — now, I’d say they’re all pretty meaningful — playing on the weekend, and playing in the rain storm where no one’s there…

“To me, this all defines a championship-caliber team, and I think we’re heading in the right direction.”