Terriers Take on Stony Brook Thursday
October 14, 2009 | Women's Soccer
BOSTON - In a crucial match-up of the America East Conference's top two teams, the Boston University women's soccer team (9-4-2, 5-0-0 AE) will travel to Stony Brook (5-7-2, 4-0-1 AE) on Thursday for a 7 p.m. start. Tomorrow night's game will be a rematch of the 2008 AE women's soccer championship bout, where the Terriers claimed their sixth league title in the last nine seasons with a 2-1 win over the Seawolves.
The Terriers hold a 7-1-1 advantage in the all-time series history, and most recently met in the 2008 league title game where Corie Halasz and Mara Osher netted goals as BU defended its conference crown.
BU, which owns a seven-game winning streak, has seen a surge in its offense during this stretch. Since Sept. 20, BU has scored 18 goals with 10 different players finding the back of the net and 13 players recording a point. Senior Emily Pallotta leads the charge with five goals in the last six games and a team-leading 12 points (5g, 2a) in 2009. Sophomore Jessica Luscinski has also hit her stride this year, as she is tied with Pallotta with 12 points and leads the conference with six assists.
On defense, senior Janie Reilly has amassed eight wins with five shutouts and a conference-leading 0.52 goals-against average and .872 save percentage. Her GAA is good for ninth in the nation, while she ranks 20th in save percentage.
Stony Brook is also on a winning streak of its own, as it has won three straight and is unbeaten over its last five games. The 4-0-1 start in America East play matches the Seawolves' best ever five-game start in conference action.
SBU has outscored its opponents by an 11-1 margin during its five-game unbeaten streak and has been led by rookie Meghan Gilley with five goals. The freshman class has been prolific for SBU this season as classmate Sa'sha Kershaw recently scored her third goal against Vermont and has now amassed eight points. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Viola has shut out four of the last five opponents and she now owns the career shutout record with 24.
Following Thursday's showdown, BU will host Hartford on Sunday (Oct. 18) at 1 p.m. at Nickerson Field.
