Women’s Soccer: Baltimore-bound Terriers seek to continue dominance over Loyola Maryland
By: Akshai Wadhwani
BOSTON, MA – More inter-canine action lies on the horizon in the Patriot League, as the Boston University Terriers prepare to visit the Loyola Greyhounds in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon.
BU (6-7-2 overall, 4-0-1) have maintained laserlike focus since the start of conference competition, remaining undefeated since a 1-1 draw against American to open Patriot League play and currently clutching a five-match win streak. Their most recent league win, a 1-0 decision over Navy at Nickerson Field, extended their intraconference unbeaten streak at home to 46 matches—an NCAA-topping number.
Sophomore superstar Anna Heilferty boasts an array of prestigious statistics under her belt, with five goals (T-3rd in PL) and four assists (T-2nd in PL) for 14 total points (3rd in PL) as well as 42 shots (2nd in PL). Other top members of the underclassman army include freshmen Taylor Kofton (3 goals) and Lauren Adelman (2 goals), while seniors McKenna Doyle (2 goals, 2 assists) and Chelsea Churchill (1 goal, 2 assists) round out the top five points leaders. Sharing the lion’s share of time in net, sophomore Amanda Fay and freshman Morgan Messner have combined for five shutouts with a .725 save percentage and 52 total stops (junior Emma Heil has added two additional saves in 20:26 of action).
Loyola (5-8 overall, 1-4 PL) appears to have caught the one-goal plague. In their last three Patriot League contests, the Greyhounds have lost to Bucknell, 1-0, beaten Army, 1-0, and fallen to Holy Cross, 1-0. Junior midfielder Hannah Hoefs tops the points table with four goals and a pair of helpers, while senior Jourdan Ziff holds three tallies; freshman Sarah Bayer has been Loyola’s outstanding rookie, with two goals and an assist to her name. Returning goalkeeper Sumer Rahe has started every match between the posts, with 31 saves and a .674 save percentage. However, she has also conceded the third-most goals (15) in the Patriot League.
The Greyhounds have proven themselves as tough hosts in 2018, recording four of their five wins this season on home turf. That statistic, however, will hardly bother the Terriers, who have been victorious in five straight meetings between the two teams and hold a 6-1-1 lead in the all-time series. BU’s Doyle will certainly have a swagger about her in Saturday’s matchup; after all, the senior has netted a pair of braces against the Greyhounds—one in her freshman year, and one last year in a 3-0 win at Nickerson Field—and will be looking for her fifth career goal against them this weekend.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.