BOSTON – Thanks to an 83rd-minute goal from freshman Olivia Avellar, the Boston University women's soccer program secured a quarterfinal bye in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament following a 1-0 victory over Army West Point on Wednesday evening at Nickerson Field.
 
With the win, BU (5-7-6, 5-0-4 PL) earns the No. 2-seed for the postseason and finishes the regular season unbeaten in conference play. Army (11-5-1, 5-3-1 PL) clinches the No. 3-seed.
 
Seniors Morgan Fagan and Hugrún Helgadóttir tallied the assist's on Avellar's score, which was her first as a Terrier. Freshman goalkeeper Bridget Carr made two saves in her third shutout of the season.
 
The Black Knights were limited to eight shots in the match, with two each from Jordan Folenweider, Bella Conti, and Brigid Duffy. Sage Strohman made four stops between the posts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• BU generated the first shot of the evening when junior Margy Porta's chance was blocked inside the box three minutes into the contest. The ball got loose on the ensuing corner but was cleared away.
• The Black Knights recorded consecutive corner kicks in the 23rd minute. The latter led to Follenweider's header, which Carr collected on one hop for her second save of the match.
• On the counter, junior Mackenzie Stickelman dished to her right to find classmate Giulianna Gianino, whose 20-yard shot floated over the crossbar.
• Gianino was in position with five minutes until halftime for a shot that led Strohman to send over the woodwork. Freshman Jaiden Schultz eventually found the ball on the corner kick, but her try was wide left.
• BU ignited the second half with three minutes in a 57-second span. Strohman punched away Porta's shot in traffic, then Fagan had a shot deflect off a teammate on the corner. Moments later, her long-range try narrowly lifted over the bar.
• In the 55th minute, Gianino threaded the defense by the right side of the 18-yard box, and her 15-yard blast was redirected by Strohman near the right post.
• BU's best chance of the match at that point arrived in the 77th minute. A corner kick got loose in Army's box, and junior Helene Tyburczy flicked a shot on net that led to a Black Knight defender making the save just in front of the goal line.
• The Terriers capitalized in the 83rd minute when Helgadóttir passed to Fagan as she penetrated the right corner. Fagan's cross found Avellar in front, and her right-footed boot beat Strohman.
• Neither side ripped off a shot from that point. 

STATS

• BU recorded a 15-8 advantage in shots, including a 6-2 edge in shots on target.
• Gianino paced all Terriers with five shots.
• BU limited Army West Point to three shots in the second half.
• The Terriers rattled off 10 corner kicks to the Black Knights' six.
• Carr, Gianino, Tyburczy, Stickelman, and junior Morgan Weaver played the full 90 minutes.
• Army sustained two yellow cards to BU's one.

NOTES

• Avellar is the fifth Terrier in 2024 to record her first career goal, joining Schultz, sophomores Kat Slott and Kaiya Stewart and freshman Juliana Osterman.
• With 37 career points, Fagan now moves to 20th place in program history, surpassing Susan Marschall '06 and Anna Heilferty '21.
• Helgadóttir has recorded multiple assists in back-to-back seasons.
• All three of Carr's shutouts have occurred in her last four appearances. She finishes the regular season with a 1.09 goals-against average and .774 save percentage.
• BU is the No. 2-seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2016, and fourth time overall.
• The Terriers are the first Patriot League team to go unbeaten in regular season conference play since 2018.
• Since the 2013 season, a team has achieved that accomplishment four times. BU did so in three of those instances.
• The all-time series improves to 10-3-2 in BU's favor. 

UP NEXT

• No. 2 BU welcomes the higher-remaining seed to Nickerson Field in the Patriot League semifinal round on Thursday (Nov. 7). Opening kick is slated for 6 p.m.