HAMILTON – Boston University scored the lone goal late in regulation and held on to defeat the Colgate women's soccer team 1-0 on Saturday afternoon in a Patriot League battle for first place at Beyer-Small '76 Field.
The Raiders claimed the No. 2 seed with the loss and will have a first-round bye into the semifinals, which will be played at host Boston University next Friday.
Colgate generated several scoring chances early in the second half, but Boston University never broke down and netted the game-winning goal with nearly 12 minutes left in regulation.
Kelly Park started the scoring play with a cross into the box from the right wing, forcing
Kelly Chiavaro to dive and deflect it away. The Raiders had a chance to clear the loose ball, but the outlet attempt was blocked and ricocheted back to Hannah Wilcox, who struck a low shot to the back of the net from the left side of the six-yard box.
The Terriers' goal was the first marker Colgate allowed in 563 minutes, spanning nearly six games, including a double-overtime contest at Navy.
The Raiders attempted a late comeback with offensive possession, but could not convert on a corner kick by
Sage DiGiulio in the 81st minute after a shot by
Mara Cosentino was blocked inside the box. Boston University neutralized the Raider pressure in the waning minutes to secure the 1-0 victory.
Colgate earned a pair of early second-half chances but Boston University keeper Amanda Fay made two strong saves on point-blank shots. Just over two minutes into the second stanza,
Ellis Miller corralled a throw in from outside the box and spun around a defender to get a clear shot off but Fay jumped to get her hand on it.
The Raiders' best chance came shortly after that off a corner kick in the 57th minute. DiGiulio inserted a perfect cross into the center of the box, where
Leah Lewis connected with a one-timer in traffic, but Fay raised her arm to turn away the high strike and keep the match scoreless until the Terriers netted the game-winner late in regulation.
BOTTOM LINE
• Boston University 1, Colgate 0.
FOR THE RECORD
• Boston University improved to 9-7-3 on the season and 7-0-2 in league action.
• Colgate dropped to 11-3-3 overall and 7-1-1 in Patriot League play with the loss.
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach
Kathy Brawn:
"This is a tough loss today for sure. We did so many things well, however, Boston University made the most of its opportunity to finish."
"The good news is that we are a resilient, determined team, and we have played our way to first-round bye and will get ready for the semifinals on Friday."
"Today we honored our five fantastic seniors. Their contributions are not diminished by this loss. Rather, they give us a rallying point around which we will move forward."
KEY RAIDER NOTES
• Colgate finished the regular season with its most wins (11) since 2014.
• The Raiders honored seniors
Natalie Kozlowski,
Martina Loncar,
Gianna Bustamante,
Asia Lee-Fatt, and
Laura Leonard playing in their final regular-season match at Beyer-Small '76 Field.
• Miller led the Raiders with three shots, including two on goal, in the match.
• Chiavaro finished with two saves and conceded her first goal since Sept. 30.
• Colgate's loss was its first in nearly two months since dropping a 2-1 decision in overtime to La Salle on Aug. 30.
• Since that date, the Raiders are 10-1-2 over their last 13 games.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Boston University held a 14-6 advantage in shots, while the Raiders edged the Terriers in shots on goal, 4-3.
• Corner kicks finished 8-7 in favor of the Raiders.
• Fouls were dead even at 8-8.
UP NEXT
• The Raiders will travel to Boston for the Patriot League semifinals on Friday, Nov. 2. Their game time and opponent is to be determined.
