Women’s Soccer: Terriers season comes to an end in Austin

By Finley Rogan

The Boston University Terriers (7-7-6, 5-0-4 PL) were defeated 4-1 by the University of Texas Longhorns (16-3-2, 6-3-1 SEC) on Friday night at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

“Those are the games that you want to be at your best, and I think the girls rose to it,” Coach Megan Burke said. “Obviously, the score doesn’t show that, but if you’re there on the sideline with them, you could really see what they gave and how proud I think everyone is of them.”

It was the first round of the 64-team NCAA tournament. Both teams won their conference tournaments and had an automatic bid for the tournament. Texas was the No. 4 seed in the region. The Terriers were given the No. 13 seed in the region. It would be the first time in history that the two teams played.

BU was undefeated during Patriot League play this season. Texas, who played in a much tougher conference than the Terriers, entered the game unbeaten in their last five.

Through the first few minutes, it was evident texas was going to play with a slower pace. Instead of attacking quickly, the Longhorns looked to posses the ball and play with patience. The Terriers seemed okay with this, as they did not implore their aggressive press which they had used in the Patriot League.

BU Freshman keeper Bridget Carr made her first save of the night after she caught a quick shot off a run from Texas freshman forward Amalia Villareal.

BU got their first good chance of the game as Terrier senior Morgan Fagan attempted a curling shot from far outside of the box. Although the shot went just wide, the Terriers were able to test Texas senior keeper Mia Justis and keep her on her toes.

Soon after, BU took an early lead in the match. In the 20th minute, BU had a far cross which went above the Texas defense where it found Morgan Fagan. She was able to hit a rocket off a small volley into the bottom left corner of the net to see the Terriers ahead 1-0. Fagan continued her excellent recent stretch of play where she has continuously found herself in dangerous positions around the net.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Longhorns tied the game back up. Texas senior forward Holly Ward was able to cash in after BU freshman keeper Bridget Carr had some difficulty securing the corner kick. The game was tied 1-1 in the 28th minute.

As the minutes ticked down in the first half, Texas controlled the greater share of possession and continued to pressure the Terriers in their own end when they were playing out of possession.

In the 38th minute, the Longhorns had a wonderful scoring chance after freshman forward Amalia Villareal dribbled through numerous Terrier defenders on her way into the box where her shot went just wide of the far post.

Throughout the first half, BU had a real difficult time playing out of their own end and they had real trouble completing multiple passes in a row. This caused the Terriers to build up in a more random fashion with a mix of long passes and solo runs.

After 45 minutes, the teams were tied 1-1. It was an encouraging half overall for BU as they proved to themselves that they belonged on this stage. The were quite competitive through most of the half and never seemed a much weaker side compared to Texas.

Morgan Fagan had the first scoring chance of the second half but her shot was saved. Less than a minute later Texas senior midfielder Ashlyn Miller had her shot go just over the post. It was the best chance of the game for the Longhorns up to that point.

BU freshman keeper Bridget Carr made consecutive saves in the 58th minute. Texas freshman forward Amalia Villareal continued to make her mark on the match as it was her third major chance of the game. If Texas was going to get another goal, she seemed the likely candidate.

Early in the 60th minute, BU freshman keeper Bridget Carr made another impressive save, this time using her feet to deflect the ball away from goal.

The Terriers resistance only lasted so long as Texas took a 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute. Longhorn senior forward Holly Ward converted on a solo breakaway to score her second goal of the match.

The Terriers faced a real uphill battle with less than 30 minutes to go in the game, and potentially their season.

Texas senior forward Holly Ward continued her outstanding performance as she completed her hat-trick in the 67th minute. A great team play from the Longhorns led to Ward receiving a pass in the box, turning and riffling a shot past the gloves of Bridget Carr. It was the first hat-trick for the Longhorns in NCAA tournament history. Texas led 3-1 with 23 minutes to play.

“They put a bit more pressure on us in the second half,” Burke said. “It’s a bit of just being tired too running so hard for the first 45.”

BU continued to play hard and force a couple of chances, but none were too threatening for the Longhorns. Texas played slow on the ball as they looked to possess and continue to drain the clock.

The Longhorns continued their second half dominance as once again senior forward Holly Ward scored. She once again converted on the breakaway, showing great composure by patiently waiting to take her shot. Texas led 4-1 in the 76th minute.

The score held through the end of the match as the Texas Longhorns would see themselves advance to the next round of the NCAA tournament with a 4-1 victory. The Terriers finally ran out of juice after a wonderful Patriot League campaign.

“I don’t think we were satisfied just making the tournament, and we wanted a better outcome,” Burke said. “It’s something that they were proud of, and it was a huge accomplishment for this team.”

Even though the season ended in disappointing fashion, the Terriers have a lot to be proud of and will look to retain their Patriot League title next season.