UB Bulls women's soccer looks to continue defensive dominance

When Shawn Burke served as assistant coach of the women’s soccer team, he specialized in overseeing Buffalo’s defense. Through his first four games as head coach of the Bulls, Buffalo has not allowed a single goal.

The Bulls (3-0-1) are undefeated through their first four games with Burke as head coach and their defense has been a catalyst for their success. If Buffalo doesn’t allow a goal in the first four minutes of its next game, then a program record for longest shutout streak to start a season (384 minutes) will be set.

“There’s definitely a familiarity there with the team concept,” Burke said. “Instead of doing it with individuals, we defend as a group and we can be much more successful.”

Freshman goalkeeper Laura Dougall has been defending Buffalo’s net. Dougall has the longest shutout streak for a freshman in program history (380 minutes) and received Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors Aug. 25.

Dougall said communication with her defenders has been the key to her success.

“The three key things are cover, pressure and balance,” Dougall said. “You obviously can’t do that without a team working together and communicating with one another.”

Burke has been impressed with Dougall’s confidence and maturity. Burke said the freshman goalkeeper has confidence because of her abilities and that confidence has spread to her teammates.

“You just never know how 18-year-old freshmen are going to handle the speed of the game and the pressure of being a No. 1 goalkeeper at this level,” Burke said. “I think that’s probably what’s impressed us the most, is you would have thought she was a senior with her mentality and the way she comes in.”

She is confident because her teammates have made her and the other freshmen feel comfortable and included on the team. Junior defender Jackie Hall and senior defender Sophie Therien calm her down during the game.

Dougall said her adrenaline starts running when she gets the ball in her hands and is looking to pass or kick it out to her teammates. Hall and Therein will then yell, “‘OK, Laura, calm down, calm down, you’re good,’” according to Dougall.

“As soon as I hear that I’m OK, I’m back to my normal state being comfortable with everything,” she said.

Both Hall and Therien moved to the center back position this season. Despite their unfamiliarity with the position, Burke said the two are the best center back pairing Buffalo has had in his time with the team. He commended their physical style of play and said the pair “brings that soccer savvy.”

The defense has been successful because they haven’t asked Dougall “to do all too much,” according to Burke.

He said the pressure has been kept off the defense because the offense has improved at possessing the ball. Buffalo has outshot its opponent in every game this season, including a 36-11 advantage in a 2-0 win over Canisius (1-3) on Aug. 24.

Despite out possessing their opponents, the Bulls have scored just four goals this season. The lack of goal scoring concerns Burke and is what the team wants focus on in its last three games before conference play.

“We’re getting numbers in the attack, we’re getting players forward, we’re getting quality looks, now we just need to have an end result,” Burke said. “We’d much rather be winning three or 4-0 nothing than squeaking out 1-0 wins.”

Four different players have scored Buffalo’s goals this season, including senior forward Katie Roberts, who scored the team’s game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Drexel (1-2) Aug. 31. Burke is confident in the team’s offensive depth, saying “there’s no reason we couldn’t have six or seven players on this team with more than five goals.”

Buffalo has three road games before the MAC season begins. Improving goal scoring in that time might not be easy, as one of those games will be against Virginia Tech (4-0), ranked No. 5 in the country, Sept. 12.

The team is motivated to continue its shutout streak.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” Burke said. “When you don’t concede goals you’re always going to give yourself a chance to win.”

The Bulls play at Niagara (2-0) this Sunday at 7 p.m.

email: sports@ubspectrum.com