Aug. 21, 2014
Women's Soccer Favored to Defend Patriot League Title
Friday: Watch Live (PLN) | GameTracker | @BUGameDay
Sunday: Watch Live (PLN) | GameTracker | @BUGameDay
The Boston University women’s soccer team and head coach Nancy Feldman will begin the program’s 20th season this weekend with home games against La Salle and No. 19 Boston College at Nickerson Field. The Terriers will host the Explorers on Friday night (7 p.m.) before welcoming the Eagles on Sunday evening (7 p.m.)
There will be free admission for Sunday’s contest against BC as well as an autograph session after the game. In addition, all fans at the game can enter into the “Rivalry Raffle” for a chance to win Red Sox tickets, BU ice hockey and basketball tickets and prizes from Barnes and Noble.
BU, the defending Patriot League champion, was exceptional at home last year. The Terriers boasted a record of 9-0-2 at Nickerson Field in 2013, including a 1-0 win over Harvard in the NCAA tournament. They are unbeaten in each of their last three home openers and have not allowed a goal in all of those victories, including a 1-0 triumph over Dayton last season. Friday will be the first-ever meeting between BU and La Salle.
Twenty returnees and eight newcomers comprise the 2014 roster that was picked to defend its conference title in the Patriot League preseason poll. Receiving votes in the NSCAA national preseason poll, the Terriers are bolstered by two preseason All-League selections in sophomore Erica Kosienski and senior Kai Miller. Kosienski was the 2013 PL Rookie of the Year while Miller is one of four senior captains and a 2013 PL All-Conference First Team defender.
Also returning for BU are 2013 All-Conference Second Team honoree McKenzie Hollenbaugh and former America East Rookie of the Year Taylor Krebs. Krebs, junior Jenna Fisher and senior Jamie Turchi each scored two goals last year while Kosienski is the leading scorer among returnees with eight goals. Hollenbaugh and Miller will anchor a defense that helped record 16 shutouts last season. Senior Alyssa Parisi will lead a young group of goalkeepers in 2014. Parisi played in five games last year, going 3-0-1 and allowing just two goals.
La Salle is the defending Atlantic 10 champion and has advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of the last three years. The Explorers won 15 games in 2013 but were just 5-5-2 on the road. Senior Kelsey Haycook returns as the leading scorer from last year, having tallied a league-leading 41 points and a team-leading 15 goals. Classmate Maryam Huseini set the program’s single-season record for assists last year with 13 while senior goalkeeper Jessica Wiggins won the starting job midway through last year, leading the league in shutouts (nine) goals against average (0.46) and save percentage (.877).
BC will begin its season with back-to-back games against Patriot League opponents, as the Eagles host Colgate on Friday night. The Eagles finished last year with a 13-10-1 record and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. They will return senior goalkeeper Alexandra Johnson, who went 10-5-0 last year, as well as junior defenders Lauren Bernard and Coco Woeltz. BC will also have the services of junior McKenzie Meehan, who led the Eagles with 20 goals and 41 points. The two teams played last season, with BC edging BU, 1-0.
