Women’s Soccer: Terriers find way to knock off Colgate at home

By Eli Cloutier

On Wednesday evening, Boston University (4-4-2) (1-1 PL) finished their four-game homestand on a high note, defeating Colgate (1-7-2) (0-1-1 PL) 2-0 at Nickerson Field, in what is their first Patriot League victory of the season.

The Terriers came out in a 2-5-3 formation, with the Colgate Raiders opposite them in a more standard 3-4-3. Colgate put the pressure on BU early, forcing several early corner kicks. Their second corner of the night produced a chance on goal from sophomore forward Ana Schremp, whose shot was easily bottled up by the Terrier standout in net, junior Celia Braun.

Colgate continued to push the ball into the attacking third, but they were unable to get any quality shots on goal as the BU backline stood strong.

The Raiders’ best chance of the first half came from sophomore midfielder Ari Bezanson, who ripped a shot from outside the box forcing Braun to make a spectacular save, punching the ball over the net. Braun finished with three saves in the first half.

BU, after struggling to get anything going for most of the opening half, ended the half strong, controlling more of the possession. However, at the break, the game was still knotted at zero.

“We did a lot of defending, the game was too stretched and too vertical,” BU head coach Casey Brown said. She also added that her team needed more of the ball to take the weight of the game off the BU defense.

The start of the second half had a much slower pace, as both teams continued on the defensive end of the ball and both struggled to find a quality look on goal.

“It all starts with our defense and our goalie,” BU junior forward Morgan Fagan said. 

After halftime, the Terriers forced several free kicks in the attacking half. This came along with some stellar play from Fagan on the right wing, who crossed the ball into the box several times, although to no avail.

With the game still tied at zero, the Raider’s best chance of the game came in the 79th minute when senior forward Ally Giovino headed a cross just wide of the goal. Giovino showed clear frustration after the near miss.

The turning point of the game came in the 86th minute when junior midfielder Eileen Solomon sent a set piece low and hard into the box. Through the chaos, sophomore midfielder Mackenzie Stickelmen found the back of the net to give the Terriers a much-needed goal to put them up 1-0, all but sealing the game.

Three minutes later, sophomore midfielder Giulianna Gianino crossed the ball into the box and Fagan finished the job, giving the Terriers a 2-0 lead: a scoreline that stuck.

“It always feels good to get a goal, but it’s always a team effort,” Fagan said. “I’m just glad that I have my team to support me.”

Brown backed up Fagan’s statement.

“I’m so thrilled for the team. They showed a lot of resiliency and that’s a characteristic you need to be successful in conference play,” she said.

The Terriers will look to build off this win when they travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where they will take on Lehigh University this Sunday at 2 p.m.

“We’re feeling amazing and we’re riding off great momentum,” Fagan said. “We’re ready to go get another one on the road.”