Women???s Soccer Opens America East Play at Stony Brook
September 23, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Despite officially sporting a record of 4-4-2, the Boston University women???s soccer team season essentially starts over this weekend when the Terriers begin America East play at Stony Brook on Sunday at noon. BU is coming off a tough 1-0 loss at Harvard on Wednesday and will be looking for its first win in two weeks. The Sea Wolves, meanwhile, are 3-6-1.
The Terriers will be looking to extend a streak of six consecutive wins in conference openers ??? BU has not lost an America East lid-lifter since 1998. Last season the Terriers opened with a 4-1 win at Hartford en route to a 5-3-1 league record. BU is 2-1-1 all-time against Stony Brook, including last year???s scoreless draw. The Terriers won at Stony Brook, 4-1 in 2003, and are a perfect 2-0 all-time at the Sea Wolves??? home field.
After stringing together its first winning streak two weeks ago in the TCU Horned Frog Invitational, BU has tied twice (vs. Fairfield and Princeton) and lost (at Harvard). The Terriers are still looking to find offensive consistency and the ability to strike early. BU has been outscored 6-4 in the first half this season, and opponents have jumped out to a lead in five of the Terriers??? 10 contests. At Harvard on Wednesday, the Crimson scored less than 12 minutes into the game and made the lead hold up for the 1-0 victory. The BU defense has pitched three shutouts on the season, however, the offense has failed to find the back of the net four times. In all four of its losses this season, BU has failed to score a goal. The Terriers are outshooting their opponents by a better than 2:1 ratio (162-78), and the BU defense has allowed just nine goals in nine games (27 goals in 29 games including the 2004 season).
Leading the Terrier offense is senior forward Megahnn Cook (Melrose, Mass.), who has a team-high nine points on three goals and three assists. She remains one assist shy of tying the school record for career assists (22). Meanwhile, seniors Melissa Shulman (Huntington, N.Y.) and Susan Marschall (Baton Rouge, La) each have five points on the year, with each having registered two goals and one assist. In goal, BU is led by the two-headed netminders of Christina Reuter (Madison, Wisc.) and Stephanie, Dreyer (New Rochelle, N.Y.) Reuter, who absorbed her first loss of the year on Wednesday, is 3-1-1 with a 0.57 GAA, good for second in the America East. Dreyer, who will likely be between the pipes on Sunday, is 1-3-1 with a 1.15 GAA.
Stony Brook is led by Tiffany Fasullo, who has team-bests of three goals and two assists. Brooke Barbuto has two goals and five points, while Jackie Anthony has scored twice and recorded four points. The Sea Wolves feature Cindy Bennett in goal, who has played all 920 minutes this season, and has a 1.57 GAA with 50 saves. Stony Brook and BU have one common opponent in the non-conference schedule; each lost to Central Connecticut State (BU, 1-0; SB, 3-1).
The Terriers return to action next Thursday when they travel to Maine to take on the Black Bears. BU was picked to finish first by the coaches in the America East preseason poll, while Maine was chosen second.
