Boston University women defeat Albany

BOSTON - Backed by late goals from junior Jessica Luscinski and freshman Kylie Strom, the top-seeded Boston University women’s soccer team advanced to the America East championship game with a 2-0 win over fourth-seeded Albany on Sunday afternoon. The Terriers will face No. 6 Maine on Saturday (Nov. 6) at 1 p.m. in the title bout. After more than 80 minutes of scoreless action, Luscinski - proving why she was named the AE Striker of the Year - broke through for the Terriers with a beautiful strike from 25 yards out on a free kick at 80:10. After an Albany foul just outside the box, Luscinski stepped up and bent her shot into the upper right corner, just out of Albany goalkeeper Breanna Maggio’s reach. It was her 10th tally of the season. Strom found the back of the net less than two minutes later, when junior Tiya Gallegos crossed a pass into traffic at the top of the box, where Luscinski was able to get a foot on it and push it over to Strom. Strom, with her back to the goal, maneuvered around two defenders and chipped it in for her third score of the season. BU was relentless offensively, outshooting the Great Danes 31-1, and forcing Maggio to make nine saves. Five different Terriers had at least three shots, led by graduate student Lisa Kevorkian with nine and Luscinski with six. Strom was also highly active in the offensive third with five shots. Defensively, BU had its hands full with Albany’s speedy forwards Chelsea DeVerna and Shayla Bergeron; however, it was up to the challenge as it prevented DeVerna and Bergeron for even getting inside the 18-yard box. UA’s best opportunity came in the first half when it drew a free kick just outside the box, however, freshman netminder Kelly King - the AE Rookie of the Year - set up the wall perfectly and it blocked Rebecca Lee’s shot from entering the box; thus preserving its shutout streak, which now stands at 12 consecutive games and 1,097:02 minutes. BU will face sixth-seeded Maine on Saturday (Nov. 6) at 1 p.m. in the AE Women’s Soccer Championship title game. The Black Bears advanced to the finals after upsetting third-seeded Hartford, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Stony Brook, 3-1, in the semifinals. NOTES: Next Saturday the women’s soccer team will be looking to defend its crown for the fourth-straight year and eighth time in the last 10 years. As a No. 1 seed, BU is now 11-0-1 and improves its record against UA to 10-0-0. With a goal and assist on Sunday, Luscinski now has 52 career points, which puts her in 10th place among BU’s all-time scoring leaders. Her 18 career goals also ranks in 10th place. BU now has the fourth-longest shutout streak in NCAA history as it is tied with the 1987 North Carolina squad and the 1984 North Carolina State team. Santa Clara boasts the longest streak in NCAA history with 16 straight, while Central Michigan (2009) and UNC (1989) share second. Each of these respective streaks happened over the course of one season.