Women's Soccer Loses To Rutgers In NCAA Play
November 16, 2001 | Women's Soccer
The Rutgers women's soccer team scored four unanswered goals, three of which came within a span of just 36 seconds in the first half, en route to a 4-1 win over the Terriers in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament on Friday afternoon (November 16th).
The loss brought down the curtain on one of the most successful seasons in Terrier women's soccer history. Picked to win the America East title, the Terriers posted a 10-0-1 regular-season record to win their second straight conference title. Then, in the America East tournament, they defeated Delaware, 1-0, in the first round and Hartford, 2-0, in the championship game. It marked the second straight year, as well, that B.U. also won the conference title, and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Terriers finished their season with a 14-6-1 record.
In Friday's match against Rutgers, the Terriers took a 1-0 lead on a goal by senior Nicole Soules (Springfield, VA). Soules took a pass from sophomore Erin O'Brien (Natick) and beat Rutgers' goalkeeper Christine Caldwell for the first goal of the game.
It appeared the Terriers would go into the halftime with a 1-0 lead, but Rutgers countered with three goals within a span of just 46 seconds.
The scoring began at 41:21 on a goal by Carli Lloyd. On the ensuing kick, Soules took control of the ball but was tackled hard and Rutgers took the ball. The Scarlet Knights came down quickly and scored at 41:52 on Samantha Swerdloff's goal. Again, the Terriers took the ensuing kick but lost control to Rutgers. The Knights' attack resulted in a goal by Meghan Cameron at 42:07.
Instead of being up 1-0 at the half, the Terriers found themselves trailing by a 3-1 margin at the break.
"We were shell shocked," said Terrier head coach Nancy Feldman. "Instead of being in charge, we were forced to play a desperate game in the second half. And, that's not our style of play.
"And, in the second half, they did a good job keeping the ball away from us," the coach went on.
Rutgers, which outshot the Terriers, 22-10, had 11 shots on goal in the second half. They also played a very physical game during the final 45 minutes, as they were called for 14 of their game total 18 fouls in the second half.
Despite the Scarlet Knights controlling the ball for most of the second half, the Terriers had a scoring chance midway through the half when senior Megan Cross (Pembroke) had a loose ball following a corner kick. But, the Rutgers' defense prevented Cross from getting off a good shot.
"If we had been able to score at that time, it would have made the score 3-2, and things might have been different for us," said Feldman.
Finally, at the 77:35 mark, Rutgers' Christine Wentzler scored to put the game out of reach.
"It was really a story of two games," said Feldman. "The first game was when we were up and in control, and the second game was when we had a letdown and they scored those three quick goals.
"Rutgers is a good team," continued the coach. "They are a dangerous attacking team, but I don't think the final score was an indication of the difference between our programs.
"I thought that we performed very admirably this year," summed up the coach. "The fact that we were picked to win the conference, and did so, is a terrific thing for our players. But, what happened against Rutgers is painful. It is not insurmountable, and we have to take a look at the areas where we need to improve upon."
| Team | FirstHalf | Second Half | Total |
| Boston University (14-6-1) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rutgers University | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Statistics | | |
| Saves | Jessica Clinton, B.U., 8 | Christine Caldwell, R, 4 |
| Corner Kicks | B.U., 6 | Rutgers, 2 |
| Shots | B.U., 10 | Rutgers, 22 |
| Scoring |
| B.U.--Nicole Soules (Erin O'Brien), 29:02 |
| R.U.--Carli Lloyd (Samantha Swerdloff), 41:21 |
| R.U.--Swerdloff (Meghan Cameron, Keri Lages), 41:52 |
| R.U.--Cameron (Erica Schubert), 42:07 |
| R.U.--Christine Wentzler (Cameron, Schubert), 77:35 |
