June 17, 2009

BOSTON - Fresh off one of the most memorable seasons in program history, the Boston University women's soccer team and head coach Nancy Feldman are pleased to announce their 2009 schedule, highlighted by competition against five NCAA tournament teams, including two squads that finished in the NSCAA/adidas top 25.

"We are thrilled at the quality of our 2009 schedule," said Feldman. "Our non-conference and conference schedules are certainly challenging and will give our student-athletes the best opportunity to develop and improve over the course of the season, as well as preparing the team for postseason play."

The Terriers, who have been a dominant force in the America East Conference over the last decade, won their sixth conference crown in the last nine seasons in 2008 and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. It marked the first time in program history that a BU women's soccer squad made four consecutive trips to the NCAA tourney. After beginning the season with a 4-5 record, BU turned it on, rattling off 11 wins in 12 games, which included a perfect AE regular season.

In 2009, BU takes on NCAA tournament participants Boston College (Sept. 2), West Virginia (Sept. 6), Penn State (Sept. 13), Northeastern (Sept. 18) and Harvard (Sept. 20). The Eagles advanced to the NCAA third round after wins over Central Connecticut and Northeastern and finished the 2008 season ranked 11th in the nation. West Virginia earned its third straight Big East American Division title in 2008 and ranked 14th in the NSCAA/adidas final poll - never dropping out of the top 25 all season long.

"Adding Penn State, UConn and West Virginia, three perennial top 15 nationally ranked programs to the usual non-conference slate - including BC, Dartmouth, Harvard and Northeastern - will certainly give us opportunities to prove we belong with the other top soccer programs in the east region," said Feldman.

BU will open its season with a three-game stretch against regional rivals Rhode Island (Aug. 27), Massachusetts (Aug. 30) and Boston College (Sept. 2). It will host the Rams and Minutewomen at Nickerson Field before traveling down Commonwealth Ave., to face the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. The squad will then take on Loyola College (Sept. 4) in Baltimore, Md., before facing the Mountaineers two days later in Morgantown, W.Va.

Continuing into mid-September, the Terriers will match up with Connecticut (Sept. 11) in the Huskies' annual UConn Classic, where they will also face NCAA tournament participant Penn State on Sept. 13. BU will continue its six-game road stretch when it faces cross-town rival Northeastern on Sept. 18.

BU will return to the confines of Nickerson Field for the first time in nearly a month when it hosts Harvard (Sept. 20) and Dartmouth (Sept. 24) before opening America East play with Binghamton (Sept. 27) at home.

"Again in 2009, vying for a conference championship will be extremely competitive and challenging," continued Feldman. "Games versus Binghamton, New Hampshire and Maine will be early tests for the second half of the AE regular-season conference portion of our schedule."

During the rest of the AE slate, the Terriers will host Vermont (Oct. 8), Hartford (Oct. 18), UMBC (Oct. 25), while traveling to New Hampshire (Oct. 1), Maine (Oct. 4), Albany (Oct. 11) and Stony Brook (Oct. 15). On Oct. 21, BU will step out of conference to host Bryant at Nickerson Field.

On Oct. 29, BU will begin its quest to capture its third straight America East title in the AE tournament. Feldman returns eight starters from last year's squad, led by tri-captains Casey Brown, Mara Osher and Emily Pallotta.