Women’s Soccer: Late goal at Loyola keeps win streak alive
By: Ethan Fuller
BOSTON, MA – With a crucial goal in the 87th minute, Boston University notched its sixth straight victory in a 1-0 result against Loyola Maryland on Saturday.
The Terriers have now climbed all the way up to .500 on the season with a 7-7-2 record, and remain undefeated in conference play at 5-0-1. Loyola (5-9-0) is now a dismal 1-5-0 in Patriot League play. Along with this year’s six-game win streak, BU has also won their last six contests against the Greyhounds, moving to 7-1-1 all-time.
The Terrier attack continued to impress on Saturday, generating eight shot attempts in the first half alone. Junior forward Kelly Park nearly broke the gridlock in the 43rd minute with a header that ricocheted off the crossbar. The continuous pressure forced Loyola back and kept their offense from gaining any momentum; the Greyhounds tallied just one shot in the opening 45 minutes, making them the latest addition to a growing list of teams BU has stifled early on.
Coming out of halftime, Loyola made a few early runs, creating three shot chances within 20 minutes. However, those strikes would be the last for the Greyhounds, as BU took control for the remainder of the game.
As the end of regulation approached, freshman Jenna Oldham sent a cross into the six-yard box that bounced off a Loyola defender and into the net. Thus, for the third straight match, a critical Terrier goal came within the last five minutes of regular time. Taylor Kofton’s game-winning strike against Navy occurred in the game’s 88th minute last week, while BU also tied their contest against Harvard in the 89th minute on Tuesday.
Freshman midfielder Kofton continued to demonstrate her recent breakout, managing two shots on goal in three attempts. Anna Heilferty also nearly found net twice in her three shots. Overall, while BU’s 12 shots in the match is low relative to recent performances, a stellar 66% of their tries were on target.
Keeper Sumer Rahe performed admirably in the box for Loyola, saving seven shot attempts. Freshman Morgan Messner drew the start in net for the Terriers, only needing to save one ball to earn her third shutout of the season.
The Terriers have now blanked five of their last six opponents, and will look to continue the hot streak Wednesday against Army West Point. Army currently sits at 6-4-5 on the year (2-3-1 in Patriot League). The match will take place back at Nickerson Field for Faculty & Staff Appreciation night, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.