The Boston University women’s soccer team will head west to face off against the College of the Holy Cross in the 2018 battle for the Turnpike Trophy.
The Terriers (2-7-2, 1-0-1 Patriot League) have won their last eight games against Holy Cross (3-6, 1-1 Patriot League), bringing the overall record between the two teams to 8-1-0.
Despite the history between the two teams, BU head coach Nancy Feldman rejected past success as a sign for Wednesday’s game.
“The Turnpike Trophy is a nice little nugget,” Feldman said, “but past records don’t really matter. This team’s changed, Holy Cross has changed … we’re going out there for three more Patriot League points and that’s the focus.”
Before the Wednesday night match, the Crusaders started their Patriot League play on the road.
They first faced off against the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Both teams were on the attack, with Navy (5-3-3, 2-0 Patriot League) narrowly outshooting the Crusaders 13-14 during the course of the game.
However, the Midshipmen’s opportunities were more precise and resulted in six of their shots going on-goal, compared to Holy Cross’ two.
Crusader goalkeeper Sophia Lettieri made four saves throughout the afternoon, but a hard shot in the second half off a free kick went through her hands, resulting in the lone goal of the game and a Navy win.
Holy Cross rebounded against Lafayette College with 2-0 shutout for itself.
Crusader forward Ang Seslija found her first goal of the season in the 22nd minute, while the team’s leading scorer, striker Carly Flahive, netted her fourth of the season for extra security in the second half.
At the start of September, Flahive earned the title of the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Week after earning two tallies against St. Peter’s College.
Feldman spoke of the need for an offensive push from the team.
“We need to be possessive of the ball, to be aggressive,” Feldman said. “Doing both of those at the right time, we definitely talked about that.”
The Terriers have outshot Holy Cross 13-1 ever since the two have been in the same conference.
BU’s win last season against the Crusaders was the fourth of five consecutive shutouts for sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Fay.
Sophomore forward Anna Heilferty assisted on the winning goal, while senior forward McKenna Doyle recorded four shots.
Fifteen of the team’s 27 shots made it to Holy Cross goalkeeper Caroline Cashion, forcing her to make 14 saves throughout the game.
Despite Cashion playing every minute for the Crusaders last season, Lettieri is the only goalkeeper to have played this season.
She currently possesses a 1.31 goals-against average and a .765 save percentage.
The Terriers’ most recent win Lehigh University earned career-first Patriot League awards for senior midfielder Chelsea Churchill and freshman goalkeeper Morgan Messner for their game-winning goal and second career shutout, respectively.
Feldman stated that steadiness would be key to the Terriers’ success.
“Defensively, we really need to work on being consistent,” Feldman said. “We need to be more responsible with the ball throughout the game as a team.”
