Women’s Soccer: Despite vibrant first half, BU drops home opener to No. 14 Princeton
By: Akshai Wadhwani
BOSTON, MA – For the Terrier women, Sunday afternoon was a tale of two halves.
In the first half of their home opener, BU attacked No. 14 Princeton’s net with ten shots, forcing six saves out of visiting goalkeeper Natalie Grossi and ringing the crossbar via sophomore Anna Heilferty.
The second forty-five, by contrast, saw the Terriers manage just two attempts, with the only effort on target resulting in a comfortable catch for the Tigers’ goalie. And, in the end, the drop in offensive pressure gave Princeton enough breathing room to net the game’s only goal in the 52nd minute and win the match, 1-0.
In the Tiger’s decisive strike, forward Mimi Asom settled a throw-in from the left side with her back to goal, shielded the ball from her defender, then swiveled and slid a shot underneath an outstretched Morgan Messner and into the bottom left corner.
The Terriers had their opportunities to put more shots on target, including eight corners and a number of free kicks within range of the Princeton penalty box. Those opportunities ultimately went begging, as they dropped their fourth straight fixture and first home match in almost a year (last home loss: September 8, 2017 vs. Marquette).
Heilferty, a sophomore, led the Scarlet and White with three shot attempts. Senior Julianna Chen mustered two efforts on frame, and seven other Terriers contributed shots.
On the defensive end, senior center back Royce Light has now made two straight appearances alongside McKenna Kennedy after playing second fiddle to freshman Lily Perryman in the first two matches of the season—a sign that head coach Nancy Feldman has perhaps opted to prioritize experience in nailing down her new starting center back pair.
Next Up: The Terriers will haul their bags across Kenmore Square to face off against Northeastern at Parson’s Field on Thursday. The match will kick off at 6 p.m.