June 19, 2009

This summer, GoTerriers.com is counting down the top 12 achievements of Boston University teams and student-athletes in 2008-09, one of the greatest years ever for Terrier athletics. Check back each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we reveal this year's Terrier Twelve.

Coming in at No. 7 in this year's Terrier Twelve is the magical 2008 campaign for the women's soccer team, which was highlighted by a perfect America East regular season and its sixth conference crown in the last nine years. Marisha Schumacher-Hodge ('09) capped off a brilliant career as the America East Midfielder of the Year and with an invitation to try out for the Boston Breakers, while rising senior Casey Brown was named the league's Defender of the Year after anchoring a defense that finished 15th in the nation in goals-against average. In addition, head coach Nancy Feldman and her staff were selected as the Coaching Staff of the Year.

Over the last decade, the Terriers have been a dominant force in the America East Conference, winning six league titles in the last nine seasons. They have advanced to four consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first time in program history and this year's graduating class is tied with its 2001 counterparts as the winningest class in program history with 53 career victories.

After beginning the season with a 4-5 record and no multiple-goal games, BU turned it on in late September as its offense picked up, rattling off 11 wins in 12 games. An early season win over then-No. 19 Connecticut gave BU the confidence it needed as it entered into the conference slate, where it went on to complete its second perfect regular season in program history - including an impressive 1-0 double-overtime victory at Hartford in the regular-season finale.

At the end of the regular season, BU claimed three major year-end awards from the conference - Schumacher-Hodge, Brown and the coaching staff - while also placing four student-athletes on the America East All-Conference First Team (Schumacher-Hodge, Brown, Mara Osher, Lina Cords). Earning second-team honors was Elizabeth Speck ('09), Farrell McClernon and Emily Pallotta, as well as Shauna Kelleher and Janie Reilly. In addition, Jessica Luscinski made the all-rookie team for her efforts in her first season as a Terrier.

Entering the America East Women's Soccer Championship as the top-seeded squad, the Terriers delivered with back-to-back wins over Maine, 1-0, and Stony Brook, 2-1, to lift its sixth banner into the rafters and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAAs. At the end of the tournament, Schumacher-Hodge was named the championship's Most Outstanding Player, while Brown, Speck and Corie Halasz joined her on the all-tournament team.

A few days later, BU learned its NCAA fate as it drew defending national champion USC that following Thursday. Sporting a nine-game winning streak, the squad traveled to Provo, Utah for the match where it fell just short against the Trojans, 2-0. Reilly had an impressive showing with six stops; however, USC's potent attack, which prior to that game had netted 48 goals in 20 games, came through with two second-half tallies.

The BU senior class of Meredith Beaton, Mallory Doyle, Jennifer Herman, Shannon Mullen, Speck and Schumacher-Hodge graduated as one of the program's most successful classes in the history of the program with 53 wins, a .672 winning percentage and four straight trips to the NCAA tournament - the only group to accomplish that feat in BU women's soccer history. The squad broke a record for consecutive wins in a season (9), and tied records for unbeaten streak (12), shutouts (12) and consecutive games not shut out (12).

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The Terrier Twelve

No. 8 - Women's Tennis Continues America East Dominance

No. 9 - Conference Crown and All-Americans for Women's Track

No. 10 - Women's Swimming & Diving Conquers America East

No. 11 - Women's Ice Hockey Cracks National Rankings

No. 12 - Rickett Rewrites Records at America East Championship

A Letter from Athletic Director Mike Lynch