Women's Soccer Renews Postseason Rivalry with Terriers Sunday in Boston

Sunday, November 8

Boston, Mass.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

Boston University (PL Quarterfinals)

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

11/7/2026 9:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinals
#5 Bucknell (7-8-3, 4-3-2 PL) at #4 Boston University (8-8-2, 5-3-1 PL)
When: Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m.
Where: Nickerson Stadium, Boston, Mass.
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoTerriers.com

About the Bison

Bucknell is set to appear in the Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament for the 25th time since the league's inception in 1991. The Bison are 15-15-7 all-time in the postseason, and they have captured seven tourney titles (2001, 2005, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023).
Bucknell and Boston University have an extensive playoff history. The Terriers joined the Patriot League in 2014, and this will be the eighth Patriot League Tournament clash between the two teams in the last 12 seasons.

Bucknell vs. Boston University in Patriot League Tournament
2015 Semifinals -- #1 Boston U. 1, #2 Bucknell 0
2016 Championship -- #1 Bucknell 2, #2 Boston U. 1 (OT)
2017 Semifinals -- #2 Bucknell 1, #3 Boston U. 0
2021 Championship -- #4 Bucknell 1, #1 Boston U. 0
2022 Semifinals -- #2 Bucknell 0, #3 Boston U. 0 (Bucknell advanced on PKs, 4-3)
2023 Semifinals -- #2 Bucknell 3, #4 Boston U. 1
2024 Championship -- #1 Bucknell 1, #2 Boston U. 1 (Boston U. advanced on PKs, 8-7)

After a 3-0-2 start in Patriot League play, Bucknell dropped three straight games to Navy, Army, and Colgate, making Wednesday's regular-season finale at American a must-win to qualify for the postseason. The Bison took care of business, routing the Eagles 5-1 in D.C. They had a chance to climb as high as the No. 3 seed, but road wins by Holy Cross and Boston University pushed Bucknell into the No. 5 spot.
One of Bucknell's best wins of the season was a 2-1 verdict at Boston University on Oct. 10. Gaby Parker scored both Bison goals, and Presley Sutter assisted on both. Parker scored in the ninth minute after a long punt from Sarah McFarland was headed on by Sutter. Samantha Aronson scored for the Terriers on a penalty kick in the 39th minute, but Parker won it in the 61st.
The Bison had five different goal-scorers at American and hit some milestones along the way. Katie Connell and Riley Hayes scored from the penalty spot in the first half, and Parker, Ashley Kozlowski, and Emma Gavin tacked on three more in a 14-minute stretch in the second half.
Bucknell's 36 shots were the most for any Patriot League team this season, and the five goals were the team's most in a conference road game since a 6-0 win at Holy Cross in 2007. It was the highest scoring output in any road game in 10 years (8-0 at Iona in 2016), and it was the eighth time in team history that the Bison scored five or more goals in an away contest.
Bucknell's two starting forwards combined for half of Bucknell's 36 shots. Parker led all players with a career-high 11 shot attempts – also the most in the Patriot League and tied for sixth-most in all of Division I women's soccer this season -- while Sutter notched seven. Parker leads the league with 60 shots through 18 games, while Boston University's Kat Slott is second with 52.
Bucknell did well in the All-Patriot League voting on Friday, with five players earning their first career citations. Parker, Gavin, and freshman goalkeeper Sarah McFarland were named to the Second Team, while freshman midfielder Ingrid Murphy and senior defender Julia Palitti earned Third Team nods.
Bucknell had an impressive defensive stretch going until conceding seven times in two recent games against Army and Colgate. In their previous seven contests, the Bison had allowed only three goals, and all three came on penalty kicks. The defense went 720:55 – more than 12 hours of game action – without giving up a goal in the run of play until Army's Sabrina Rogers ended the streak.
Bucknell ranks fourth in the Patriot League in goals-against average (1.33), while Boston University is seventh (1.56). At the other end, Bucknell is fourth in scoring (1.50), while the Terriers are third (1.56).
Freshman goalkeeper Sarah McFarland has notched three Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week citations along with one Rookie of the Week honor. Seven different Bison have combined to capture 10 Patriot League weekly awards this season.

Bucknell 2026 Patriot League Players of the Week
Aug. 17 – Ingrid Murphy (Rookie)
Aug. 24 – Presley Sutter (Forward)
Sept. 14 – Clare Nemsick (Defender), Sarah McFarland (Goalkeeper & Rookie)
Sept. 21 – Louisa Thomsen (Midfielder)
Sept. 28 – Emma Gavin (Defender)
Oct. 5 – Sarah McFarland (Goalkeeper)
Oct. 12 – Gaby Parker (Forward), Sarah McFarland (Goalkeeper)

McFarland has six shutouts on the season, the most ever for a Bucknell freshman goalkeeper and sixth-most among all Division I freshmen.
Gaby Parker leads the team with 12 points on four goals and four assists on the season. Ingrid Murphy is next with 11 points on four goals and three assists, while Sutter has three goals and four assists. Connell has three goals, and Louisa Thomsen, Dani Howard, Riley Hayes, Ashley Kozlowski, and Tennessee Murphy have two apiece.
Bucknell's 27 goals have come from 11 different players. Eighteen players have registered a point. Of the 24 goals against, 15 have been confined to four games against Penn State (5), Army (4), Colgate (3) and Towson (3).
After the scoreless draw at No. 23 Villanova, McFarland was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week, and her spectacular diving save in the 89th minute was selected as the IWOC National Save of the Week.
The Mount St. Mary's win on Aug. 20 was career victory No. 100 for head coach Kelly Cook, who is now in her 12th season on the Bison sideline. Six of her previous 11 have resulted in a Patriot League regular-season or tournament championship. With a 104-79-36 career record, Cook is Bucknell's winningest women's soccer coach.

Boston University at a Glance/Series History

The Terriers had a streaky Patriot League campaign but enter the postseason on an upswing. They started league play with wins over Navy and Loyola, lost three straight to Army, Lafayette, and Bucknell, then closed with a 3-0-1 stretch to earn the No. 4 seed.
Since that loss to Bucknell on Oct. 10, Boston University defeated American, Lehigh and Colgate with a tie at Holy Cross mixed in. Most recently, the Terriers won 1-0 at Colgate on Wednesday on a Kat Slott goal in the 26th minute.
Slott was named Patriot League Forward of the Year on Friday, and she was one of seven Terriers named to the All-Patriot League Team. Slott and Helene Tyburczy were First Team selections; Ciara Kennedy and Sam Ryan were named to the Second Team; and Olivia Avellar, Georgia Prouty, and Nina Tzougantos were Third Team picks.
Slott is the Patriot League leader in goals (9) and points (21), and she comes in red-hot with points in seven of the nine league matches.
Avellar is next with four goals, followed by Prouty, Ryan, and Jaiden Schultz with three each. Prouty leads the team in assists with four.
Boston University has split the goalkeeping duties throughout the season. Bridget Carr has made 12 starts, and Jill Humphreys has six starts along with five relief appearances. The duo has combined for a .667 save percentage and 1.56 goals-against average.
Boston University was the 2025 Patriot League regular-season champion, but the Terriers fell 3-2 to Army in the tournament final.
Bucknell holds a 9-7-4 lead in the all-time series. The Terriers won the first four meetings, but the Bison are 9-3-4 since then.
Only five of the 20 head-to-head meetings have been decided by more than one goal. One of those came last season when Boston University won 3-0 in Lewisburg.

The Road Ahead

The Patriot League Tournament reseeds after the quarterfinal round. Navy earned the No. 1 seed and will play the lower-seeded quarterfinal winner. No. 2 Army will play the better-seeded winner. No. 3 Holy Cross hosts No. 6 Loyola in the other quarterfinal game.