BU Women’s Soccer Hosts Loyola Maryland in Battle for First Place
By: Matt Doherty
BOSTON — The month of September fared well for the BU Women’s Soccer team, as they ended it with a six match unbeaten streak. On Saturday, their calendar will shift to October, as the Terriers look to carry their momentum into a battle for first place in the Patriot League with Loyola Maryland at Nickerson Field.
BU (4-4-3, 2-0-1 PL) is coming off a monumental win at Colgate on Wednesday when the Terriers knocked off the Raiders 2-0 behind goals from Clare Plueler and Jesse Shreck. Goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi recorded her third shutout of the year. With the win, BU moved to 2-0-1 in Patriot League play, giving them a share of first place with Loyola Maryland.
The Greyhounds come in at (4-5-1, 2-0-1 PL) beating American University in overtime by a score of 2-1 in their previous match. Senior Riley Piechnick scored her first career goal in the 96th minute to secure the victory. Just like BU, Loyola started slow in the beginning of the season, but has played well of late posting a 4-1-1 record in the month of September.
Loyola is led by senior midfielder Rosy Hayes who has accounted for six goals, putting her third in the Patriot League in that category. She has more than half of the goals her team has scored this season. Slowing her down will be a big part to success for the Terriers on Saturday.
Earlier in the season, BU did well to thwart Providence College’s two elite forwards in Catherine Zimmerman and Rachel Ugolik by limiting their touches and forcing other players to beat them. The blueprint towards winning against Loyola looks likely to be the same.
The Terriers are undefeated on their home turf this season posting a record of 3-0-0 at Nickerson Field. The match Saturday marks the first of a two game home stand which will continue on Tuesday against Harvard.
Boston University is 2-1-1 all-time against Loyola Maryland, dropping last year’s contest by a score of 1-0. That loss was BU’s only Patriot League loss of the 2014 season.
A win on Saturday will give the Terriers sole possession of first place in the Patriot League standings. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff and can be seen live on the Patriot League Network.