Women's Soccer Claims Outright America East Title
October 23, 2005 | Women's Soccer
BOSTON ??? After clinching the number one seed in the America East Tournament with a victory over UMBC on Thursday, the Terrier women???s soccer team had the opportunity to claim the undisputed league title with a win over Hartford on Sunday. Although they started a bit slow, the Terriers did just that, bouncing the Hawks 3-1 at Nickerson Field on Senior Appreciation Day. BU finished the regular season with an 11-4-4 record, 7-0-1 in conference play, and registered its third unbeaten conference season in the history of the program. The Terriers beat out second place Maine (6-1-1) by one game for the America East title. BU will host next weekend???s America East Tournament and will receive a first round bye. Hartford finished its season at 4-13-1, 2-5-1.
???This is a team that might be the best we have ever had here,??? said Terrier coach Nancy Feldman, who is 133-68-19 in her career at BU, and is the only coach in the program???s 11-year history. ???Not only defensively but in terms of overall talent. This is a very special team.??? BU has won four America East regular-season titles in the last six years.
Hartford, which had a chance to qualify for the six-team league tournament with a win, jumped on the scoreboard first, with an unusual goal. BU attempted to clear the ball out of its own end, but the Terrier kick was blocked by Hawk forward Melissa Pelletier and deflected past BU???s startled keeper, Christina Reuter (Madison, Wisc.) and into the goal for a 1-0 Hartford lead less than nine minutes into the game.
BU responded late in the half when Lauren Erwin (Orange, Conn.) fired a shot that was stopped by the Hawks??? sprawling keeper Liz Cook. The rebound popped up on the left side of the goal box and Melissa Shulman (Huntington, N.Y.) was Johnny-on-the-spot, as she hit a diving header into the vacated goal for the equalizing score. The goal was the 31st of Shulman???s career and gave her 75 points in a BU uniform.
Less than two minutes later, BU took the lead for good on another strange play. Paula Moniz (Bridgewater, Mass.) fired a corner kick into the goal box, and as Terrier Susan Marschall (Baton Rouge, La.) leapt to get a touch, the ball scraped off the head of a Hawk defender and into the net for an own goal. The tally came at 41:34 and gave BU a 2-1 lead which it would take into the halftime locker room.
The Terriers were not done for the day, however, and added some breathing room just five minutes into the second half. Lauren Basham (Lake Oswego, Ore.) chipped a perfect cross from the far corner of the penalty box. Meghann Cook (Melrose, Mass.) out-jumped a pair of Hartford defenders and whipped a header past Cook and into the net for a 3-1 BU lead. Cook???s goal was the 28th of her career ??? one shy of third all-time ??? and gave her a team-best nine on the season. The assist was Basham???s first point of the year and her second career dish.
As per usual, the BU defense was stifling, limiting Hartford to just three shots all game ??? and requiring Reuter to not have to make any saves. BU outshot the Hawks 21-3 overall and had a 9-1 edge in corner kicks. The Terrier defense ended the America East season allowing just two goals in eight games. BU allowed just 12 goals in 19 games overall.
Sunday???s match marked the final regular-season game for the Terriers??? eight seniors: Cook, Shulman, Marschall, Brittany McDonald (Lindernhurst, N.Y.), Christina Kim (Fullerton, Calif.), Brooke Bingham (Duxbury, Mass.), Ashley Chassar (Lewiston, N.Y.) and Tiffany Taylor (Kanehoe, Hawaii). The group was a combined 43-25-13 in their four years and captured two America East regular-season titles.
BU???s next game will be Sunday, Oct. 30 in the America East semifinals. Game time and opponent will be determined by the quarterfinal results. The opening two rounds will be played at Nickerson Field (Oct. 28, Oct. 30).
