BU Women’s Soccer Cleans Up Patriot League Year-End Honors

By: James Mattone

BOSTON — If you don’t know by now, the Boston University women’s soccer team is the best team in the Patriot League Conference.

Okay, there is still the postseason tournament that decides who the champion of the league is, but for now, the Terriers have a couple more pieces of hardware to add to their regular season title.

The Patriot League announced their major year-end awards on November 2nd, and on that list are forward McKenna Doyle for Rookie of the Year, senior netminder Alyssa Parisi for Goalkeeper of the Year, and pre-season favorite senior McKenzie Hollenbaugh for Defensive Player of the Year.

The combo of Parisi in net and a defense led by Hollenbaugh steamrolled over conference opponents, only allowing two goals on 29 attempts at the net in nine conference games. Seven of those games were complete shutouts, including Parisi’s active streak of five heading into the tournament.

On another third of the pitch, Doyle led the Terriers with six goals and five assists in all contests during her first season at Boston University, with a league 2nd best 10 points (4G, 2A) in conference play.

As well as taking home more than half of the major awards, Boston University found 10 out of its 11 starters on the Patriot League all-league teams. Junior defensive back Rachel Bloznalis and senior midfielders Clare Pleuler and Jenna Fisher joined Hollenbaugh and Parisi on the Patriot League First-Team,

Doyle meanwhile took home Patriot League Second-Team honors along with her Rookie of the Year award, and fellow freshman Julianna Chen and senior back Rachel Blauner rounds out the second team trio for the Terriers. On the Third-Team is sophomore forward Christiana Wakefield and junior midfielder Erica Kosienski.

But with three major awards and 10 Patriot League all-conference honors under their belt, the Terriers may have one more major award in their possession of the Terriers at the end of this week; the Patriot League Championship Trophy. The Terriers begin their true quest for the three-peat this Friday at 4 p.m. at Nickerson Field, where they will face Loyola Maryland.