Photo of a BU women's soccer team huddle at the Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas, with the NCAA Championship banner in the background.
Erin Bush

Women’s Soccer Visits No. 21 Texas for NCAA Tournament First Round

November 14, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas – Gearing up for its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Patriot League champion Boston University women's soccer program will face No. 21 Texas, the No. 4-seed in the top-left quadrant, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday (Nov. 15).
 
Opening kick from the Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
 
BU (6-7-7, 5-0-4 PL) seeks its sixth NCAA Tournament win in program history. BU last appeared in the Big Dance in 2018, with its previous win taking place in 2015.
 
Texas (16-3-2, 6-3-1 SEC) is in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth season in a row, and first as a member of the SEC. In the past two seasons, the Longhorns have advanced past the first round.
 
Friday's game airs on ESPN+, with live statistics provided through NCAA.com. Fans attending the match can purchase tickets using the link above, with additional information at texaslonghorns.com.
 
TERRIER TIDBITS
  • BU earned the automatic qualifier after advancing past Bucknell via penalty kicks in the Patriot League title game last Sunday (Nov. 10).
  • The Terriers leveled the game in the 86th as junior Morgan Weaver tallied her first collegiate goal.
  • After the match concluded in a 1-1 tie, BU triumphed in penalty kicks, 8-7. Senior goalkeeper Celia Braun entered the contest before penalty kicks and denied Presley Sutter in the 10th round to guide the Terriers to their fifth Patriot League title.
  • Overall, BU has 14 conference championships. The Terriers also received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament back in 2006.
  • The Terriers have NCAA Tournament victories in 2000 (Holy Cross), 2005 (UConn in overtime), 2011 (Harvard), 2013 (Harvard) and 2015 (St. John's).
  • In its last NCAA Tournament appearance, BU played No. 19 LSU to a scoreless draw in Baton Rouge, La. before the Tigers advanced on penalty kicks, 2-1.
  • Terrier assistant coach Rachel Bloznalis (SAR'17) was a member of the squads that went to the NCAA Tournament from 2013-15, playing in 2013 and 2015.
  • Clare Pleuler '16 was the last Terrier to score a goal in the Big Dance, burying the game-winner in the 94th minute on Nov. 14, 2015 to send the Terriers past the Red Storm, 2-1.
  • BU's last ranked win came on Oct. 4, 2022, a 1-0 victory over No. 25 Harvard on the road.
  • Since the Patriot League expanded to 10 teams in 2013, the Terriers are the only program in the conference to win an NCAA Tournament match (2-9-2 as a league in that span).
  • Colgate is the only other Patriot League team that has won an NCAA Tournament match, occurring back in 2004. The 2006 Navy squad advanced on penalty kicks over William & Mary following a scoreless draw. 
SCOUTING TEXAS
  • The Longhorns are ranked 21st in the nation and are the No. 4-seed in the top-left quadrant of the bracket for the NCAA Tournament.
  • Texas went 16-3-2, including 6-3-1 against SEC foes in its first year in the conference.
  • In the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns defeated LSU, No. 5 Arkansas and No. 14 South Carolina to capture their first SEC championship.
  • Lexi Missimo paces Texas with 12 goals and 11 assists. Five additional Longhorns have scored at least four goals this year.
  • As a team, Texas ranks top-15 in the nation in total assists (53 - ninth), save percentage (.861 - 10th), assists per game (2.52 - 12th), and goal differential (+29 - 15th).
  • Head coach Ange Kelly is in her 13th season at the helm of Texas, sporting a 154-77-34 record entering Friday.
SERIES/SEC HISTORY
  • Friday marks the first all-time meeting between BU and Texas.
  • Overall, it will be just the sixth game in Terrier history against an SEC school.
  • So far, BU is 0-3-2 against SEC schools. However, the scoring margin between BU and its foes in those five matches is just 3-0 in the SEC's favor.
  • This includes the 0-0 draw against No. 19 LSU in the NCAA Tournament back in 2018.
  • Elsewhere, the Terriers have faced South Carolina four times, going 0-3-1 across matches from 2008 to 2014.
LOOKING AHEAD
  • With a win, BU would advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years.
  • The Terriers would face the winner between No. 5-seed Michigan State and Western Michigan. The second round will be held on Friday (Nov. 22).
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