Women's Soccer NCAA Tournament: BU Draws UConn

Teams Battled in Overtime Thriller During Regular Season

 by Tristan Hobbes

The Boston University women’s soccer team will open its 8th NCAA tournament Friday when they take on the University of Connecticut Huskies at Boston College’s Newton Soccer Complex. The Terriers met and watched the unveiling of the tournament field on ESPNews as a team Monday night on the 26th floor of Student Village 2.

“I think it’s a really good draw for us,” senior Emily Pallotta (’10) said. “We have come a lot since we played them last (a 1-0 overtime loss on September 11th). I think it’s a chance for us to capitalize and make some noise on the national stage.”

BU and UConn are two of the four teams that will play in the two day tournament at Boston College. The Eagles earned the #2 seed and will host the Harvard Crimson on Friday in a first round game. The two winners will meet on Sunday to determine who goes on to the round of 16. Stanford is the #1 seed in BU’s bracket. In selecting sites, the NCAA followed geographic proximity parameters, thus the four New England schools paired in this bracket. Last year, the Terriers were sent to Utah to take on the University of Southern California, the defending national champion.

“Its great that we are down the road,” senior Casey Brown (’10) said. “We can get a lot of fans, family, students. And it’s a site were familiar with.”

Head Coach Nancy Feldman also stressed the importance of being close to home in the first round.

“Our fans can be there. Our families can be there,” Feldman said. “We don’t have to struggle to get from point A to point B. It is just more comfortable.”

BU and UConn played on September 11th in the UConn Classic in Storrs. CT. The two teams were tied after 90 minutes before Melissa Busque scored the golden goal seven minutes into the first overtime. BU nearly took the lead in the second half but sophomore Jessica Luscinski’s ('12) strike hit off the crossbar. This meeting also took place during BU’s six-game road trip that produced an 0-4-2 record and just one goal.

“I think we are better and I am sure they are better,” said Feldman. “I think we possess the ball better and I think we move the ball better with possession under pressure and I think we have built a confidence in our goal scoring ability.”

The Terriers were also without Brown ('10), the three-time America East Defender of the Year. It was the first of three games that Brown would miss due to an ankle injury. The Terriers are 13-1-0 since her return on September 20th.

“I am definitely looking forward to this,” Brown said. “I am really fired up to play them now with my team.”

“That changes things a bit,” Feldman said of Brown’s absence. “Our kids did real well covering for her. She is three-time defender of the year in the conference so that’s kind of a big loss.”

UConn’s win on Sept. 11 was the third of six straight before a loss to St. Johns. The Huskies went 5-5-1 in the tough Big East conference (7 NCAA teams) and lost to Villanova in PK’s in the first round. UConn is led by freshman Linda Ruutu (8-4-20) and sophomore Busque (6-6-18).

BU and UConn have met five times with the Huskies holding a 3-2 advantage after this year’s victory. Two of the five games have come in the NCAA tournament. UConn beat the Terriers 1-0 in the first round in 2003 and BU got revenge in 2005 by knocking off the Huskies 1-0 in the first round. It is the last NCAA victory for the Terriers.