Shulman Named To NSCAA All-American Women's Soccer Team
December 15, 2003 | Women's Soccer
BOSTON, MA-Sophomore Melissa Shulman, a 2003 First Team National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Northeast Regional All-Star and the America East Offensive Player of the Year, has been named Third Team All-American by the NSCAA.
"This is a tremendous honor for Melissa," said Terrier head coach Nancy Feldman. "It really says something about how hard she worked after redshirting the 2002 season with a leg problems."
Two years ago, as a freshman, Shulman finished with 13 points on six goals and an assist. Four of her goals were game-winners as she led the team in that department. She was named First Team All-Conference and First Team America East All-Rookie.
However, leg problems forced her to miss the entire 2002 season but she came back in 2003 to lead the Terriers in goals (11), assists (6), points (28), and game-winning goals (4). She finished fourth in the conference in both points (1.35) and goals (0.55) per game.
During the season, she had goals in 11 different games, and, during one stretch, she had a goal in three straight games, in five-of-six, and in six-of-eight. Statistically, her best games were against Fairfield and Rhode Island in which she had a goal and an assist for three points in each game.
With still two years of varsity play ahead of her, she has 17 goals and 6 assists for 40 points for her career.
"Melissa is a true goal scorer," said Feldman. "One of the differences for our team between last year and this past season was the relative ease with which our team was able to score goals."
Two years ago, with Shulman contributing six goals to the Terrier attack, B.U. finished with a 14-6-1 record overall and a 10-0-1 mark in the conference. The team won both the regular-season and post-season conference titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Last year, with Shulman watching from the sidelines, the Terriers slipped to an overall record of 7-10-2 and a 4-3-1 conference mark. The team finished fifth in the final standings and did not qualify for the post-season tournament.
This past season, with Shulman back on the field, the Terriers were 12-6-5 overall and 7-1-1 in the conference. For the third time in four years, they won both the regular-season and post-season league titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. There, they lost to the University of Connecticut, which went on to play the University of North Carolina in the NCAA title game.
"She is a lynch pin for us," said Feldman. "But, the coaches realize that she is more than just a 20-yards-in type of player. She is very intelligent and an excellent technical player. She knows how to manage a game because she really has a feel and understanding for the game."
Shulman joins former Terrier Deidre Enos as the only Terrier women's soccer players to be voted an All-American by the NSCAA. Enos, the Terriers' all-time leader in goals (51) and points (121), was named to the team as a senior in 2000.
This is the second time Shulman has been honored by the NSCAA, as she was named a High School All-American as a senior at Walt Whitman High School following the 200 season.
