The AU women’s soccer team was unable to secure a victory Oct. 27 against the Boston Terriers in a 1-0 overtime loss at Jacobs Field.
BU overwhelmed AU defense on its way to the win. The Terriers dominated possession, collecting 31 shots overall. The Eagles attempted to hold off a scoring play, but BU’s 22 corner kicks fell short of the season high 23 allowed in Oct. 8 game against Navy.
The Eagles (5-9-0, 3-2-1 PL) chased the ball throughout the game, never really holding for a significant amount of time. In the first half AU could not get a single shot, which was partly due to their inability to penetrate BU’s defense and their failure to make a successful pass.
In the second half the Terriers (12-3-3, 7-1-0 PL) surged and doubled their shots. AU defense held strong blocking all shots through regulation. Junior goalkeeper Charlene Belanger had remarkable a few remarkable goal saving dives and jumps, ending the day with 11 saves.
The Eagles first shot didn’t come until the 88th minute of the game. After the game head coach Anabel Jimenez Hering expressed her desire to improve the team’s attack from the backfield.
Tied at 0-0 at the end of regulation, the Eagles were forced into overtime. AU came out running getting off a shot right away. However BU was able continue going deep into the box to score the game-winning goal at 97:31.
Hering described the goal as a “mental lapse on the part of the defense and a product of how wore down they were.”
The match between the Patriot League foes was highly physical. At one point in the game freshman Michaela Garcia knocked down a BU defender, got bumped and then was striped of the ball by a take down within the span of 30 seconds.
“We know what to expect next time, they are beatable,” Hering said after the game. “We have a full week to prepare for Colgate, and we’re gonna work on what we have to work on.”
The day began with an emotional Senior Day pre-game ceremony celebrating the achievements Erin Ryan, Shaena Alfonsi, Mackenzie Kerrigan, Katarina Kingston, Devon Meske and Breanna Smith, the six seniors on the Eagles. The six seniors and their families were brought onto the field and presented with a frame filled with photographs of their time on the field by Director of Athletics and Recreation Billy Walker. This game was the last regular season home game for the members of the class of 2014.
The Eagles regular season concludes on Nov. 2 against Patriot League foe Colgate. AU will then head to the Patriot League tournament.
