Women’s Soccer Looking to Turn Things Around with Conference Play Looming
The BU women’s soccer team is used to slow starts, and big finishes. Their 2015 season began 0-4-2 and last year’s team didn’t get their first win — or tie — until game 11, losing their first ten games before beating American in the second Patriot league game of the year. However both seasons ended in Patriot League Championship Game appearances for BU, with the Terriers capturing the title two years ago.
So far, the story has been the same for the 2017 Terriers. Through their first six games, they stand at 1-3-2, including being shutout 2-0 by Cincinnati in game two.
But there is hope for the BU, as most of their games have been close. Except for a shutout loss, all six games have ended in a shutout or have been decided by one goal. The results so far: a 3-2 loss at Louisville; a 2-0 loss at Cincinnati; a 2-1 win vs Northeastern; a 2-1 loss vs Hofstra; and two ties against Arizona State (0-0) and Arizona (1-1) in the Sun Devil Desert Classic.
The Terriers are hoping this season ends the way both the 2015 and 2016 seasons ended: the exact opposite way they started. Last year’s team went unbeaten (with one tie) starting with game 11 and ended with an appearance in the Patriot League Championship, ultimately losing to Bucknell, 2-1, in overtime. In 2015, they lost only one game after their 0-4-2 start, won the Patriot League Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship.
Their conference record over the last two seasons is a remarkable 16-1-1, and dating back to BU’s inaugural Patriot League season in 2013, the Terriers hold a 31-3-2 record in conference play.
Luckily for this year’s Terriers, only two more non-conference games remain on the schedule before Patriot League games start in mid-September. One of the two comes against cross-town rival Boston College next Sunday. Against the Eagles, BU is 1-8-1 in their last ten meetings dating back to 2007.
Season Recap
The Terriers struggled in the first half of their first two games of the season, entering the second half down 2-0 in each contest. Against Louisville, they cut the deficit to 2-1 when Kelly Park connected on a goal in the 62nd minute. However, Louisville struck back with a goal ten minutes later to take a 3-1 lead. BU’s Kiana Ghamarifard scored a minute later, but Louisville held on to hand BU its first loss of the season.
After the shutout loss at Cincinnati, the Terriers returned to Nickerson Field for a two-game home stand against Northeastern and Hofstra. In the first game against NU, the Terriers again found themselves trailing early, but scored in the 19th minute on a Jesse Shreck goal, and again in the 33rd minute on a Julianna Chen marker to take the lead. The defense took care of the rest and the Terriers won their first match of the year.
BU couldn’t sweep the home stand, though, as they fell to Hofstra 2-1 three days later. The Terriers scored first on an Anna Heilferty goal, but Hofstra struck twice in the second half to take the W.
The pair of games in the scorching Arizona heat — with temperatures over 100 degrees in both contests— ended in ties.
All six of BU’s goals so far have been spread among six players. The tallies have come from Chen, Ghamarifard,Heilferty, Park, Shreck and Christina Wakefield. Wakefield also leads the team in points with three.
The Terriers will look to end their three-game winless streak when they host Marquette Friday night at Nickerson Field.