BU-BC Renew Women's Soccer Rivalry

by Marc Filippino

The 2009 season has just begun for the Boston University women's soccer team. Two early victories over the University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts have made it a pleasant start, but things may change Wednesday night. The Terriers will face their first big test of the 2009 campaign when they travel down Commonwealth Ave. and face cross-town rival Boston College. The Eagles are ranked 16th in the nation.

"We are so psyched," senior forward Farrell McClernon ('10) said, just moments after BU’s 2-0 victory over UMass on Sunday. "Tonight was a great win but we are all thinking about BC now and we are all super-psyched."

McClernon ('10) knows how it feels to beat the Eagles. As a freshman, she scored the game-winning goal in overtime in her first collegiate game. That 2006 victory is the last time the Terriers have beaten the Eagles. "I had been hospitalized with a raging fever two days prior so needless to say my nerves were at an all time high," noted McClernon. "That was an amazing game though...and then to take the win that late on was just unreal."

Not only that, but the Terriers have only scored one goal against their cross-town rivals. One of the losses against the Eagles came in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Head Coach Nancy Feldman has been thinking about the matchup with BC and how the Terriers aspire to be more like the Eagles on the field.

"They’re what I picture we can be," Feldman said. "They’re very hard. They’re very physical, and aggressive. They’re not out of our world, but they are a very good team and they'll be a really big test for us." She added, "We can beat every team on our schedule. There’s no question about that, but they’re going to be one of the best teams we face."

Five of the Terriers six losses last year came on the road, making this matchup, which will be played at Boston College, all the more challenging.