PHOTOS

BOSTON – The Boston University women's soccer team held its annual awards banquet to celebrate the 2018 season Saturday evening at the Trustees Ballroom inside the Questrom School of Business.
 
The Terriers returned to the top of the Patriot League this past season, going unbeaten in conference games before capturing its fourth league title in six seasons with a 1-0 shutout against Lehigh in the championship game at Nickerson Field. BU would then play No. 19 LSU in the NCAA Tournament First Round, taking the Tigers to double overtime before falling in penalty kicks, Of the 32 First Round games, BU at LSU was the lone game decided in penalty kicks.
 
Off the field, the Terriers logged over 470 hours of community service. The 30-member team also excelled in the classroom as 26 student-athletes were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, while the team posted a collective 3.3 GPA.
 
Rachel Blauner (COM '16, '17) opened the night as the guest speaker. Blauner was a fifth-year senior when the current class of 2019 were sophomores, and was an integral part of the program, as she was an extraordinary leader and teammate during her playing career. Blauner current works for Fenway Sports Management, serving as an events and experiences coordinator.



Deidre Woolley, a former women's soccer club player and member of the team's alumni council, presented the Alumni Association Most Improved Player award to Shannon Keefe. The junior played in all 22 games and scored twice in Patriot League Tournament semifinal game against Army West Point, and earned a spot on the All-Patriot League Tournament Team.
 


Mindy Reger presented the Academic Achievement Award to Ann Marie Jaworski. Carrying a 3.85 overall GPA as a psychology major and minor in applied human development focus on coaching, Jaworski returned from missing the entire 2017 to play in every game.
 


Assistant coach Tori Christ presented the Rookie of the Year award to Taylor Kofton. The Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Kofton caught fire midway through the conference season, netting game-winning goals against Lafayette and Navy, and led the Terriers with four goals over the course of the Patriot League season.
 


Associate head coach Kelly Lawrence presented the Most Valuable Offensive Player to Anna Heilferty. The sophomore earned her second straight all-league selection after leading the Terriers in goals (5), assists (6) and points (16). The 2017 Patriot League Rookie of the Year racked up three goals and four assists during conference play and produced at least one point in six of nine Patriot League contests.

 

Head coach Nancy Feldman presented the Defensive MVP award to Libby Closson. The senior co-captain was integral in guiding BU to eight shutouts while limiting conference opponents to just 0.22 goals and 6.1 shots per game.
 


Massimo Gioffre presented Chelsea Churchill the Strength and Conditioning Award for her growth and development in this area over the last year, transforming herself into a reliable 90-minute player. Churchill started in 21 of 22 games and was named to both the All-Patriot League Second Team and All-Patriot League Tournament Team.
 


Father of McKenna Doyle, Mike Doyle presented the Jean Kelleher Award to Bob Chen, father of Julianna Chen. Bob served as the parent liaison for the past seasons and hosted the team's annual Halloween party with his wife, Rina.


 
Nick Pfeifer, the team's athletic trainer, awarded the Community and Team Leadership Award to Kelly Park, who has taken on responsibilities through her involvement in SAAC, the Bloom Family Leadership program and Athlete Ally, as well as numerous community service activities.
 


Finally, the Terrier Award was presented to the 10-member class of 2019 in Mariah Alexander, Julianna Chen, Chelsea Churchill, Libby Closson, McKenna Doyle, Kelly Harris, Royce Light, Pietra Sweeney, Dorrie Varley-Barrett and Hannah Wilcox.
 
In an unusual display of recognition of a group that in essence acted as one from the moment the 2017 season ended to the final whistle of 2018, this group created a mindset and demonstrated leadership, positivity, commitment and agreed upon core values in action and words – together. The senior's powerful and effective influence on this year's team could not be understated.


 
The team will be creating a special team award in Erica Lee's (QST '07) honor that will be presented to a deserving student-athlete in future years. The person who receives this recognition will be a team member that exudes the characteristics that Erica represented. A disciplined, prepared, reliable, competitor who demonstrated confidence and poise under pressure as a leader. A serious student, who excelled and strove for excellence in the classroom. A teammate that held herself and others to high standards, and equally, was a loyal and committed friend. This award will not necessarily be presented annually, but instead will carry special significance when it is awarded on merit.