Turnpike Trophy Series Begins As Terriers Take On Crusaders Wednesday Night

The Turnpike Trophy is up for grabs as the Boston University Women’s Soccer team hosts Holy Cross for the opening game of the Turnpike Trophy Series Wednesday night. This matchup has more at stake than most, bringing former BU assistant coach and soccer All-American, Casey Brown, back to Nickerson Field.

BU has dominated the Turnpike Trophy series thus far, in the 2016-2017 season holding a 21-1 advantage over Holy Cross. This is the second year that the women’s soccer team has opened the series between the two athletic departments.

“I think we are coming into this game like any other game, so this is the most important game on our schedule right now,” said assistant coach, Emma Clark. “It’s heightened just a little bit in terms of our intensity due to the fact that there is a Turnpike Trophy on the line.”

Clark explained that they aren’t changing their preparation, but are excited to see their old coaches and friends, Casey Brown and Katie Schoepfer.

Brown took the head coaching position at Holy Cross in 2015 after being an assistant coach at BU for almost four years. The Natick native was a three-time America East Defender of the Year during her time as a Terrier and was selected as a NSCAA All-American her senior season. Brown decided to add Schoepfer to her staff after the professional soccer player retired from the Boston Breakers this past year.

Brown’s impact on the women’s soccer program at BU reaches farther than just her accolades. Rachel Bloznalis, the team’s current captain and NSCAA Scholar-All American, attributes her development as a defender to Brown.

“We love them (Brown and Schoepfer) very much. They’ve done a lot for our program, but on Wednesday night we will be temporary enemies,” said Bloznalis. “Casey Brown has been a really impactful coach in my soccer career. She was recruiting me to come to BU, and as a former center back and All-American... amazing, amazing information that she has shared with me.”

Bloznalis’ career so far arguably mirrors Browns, being selected as the Patriot League Defender of the Year last year. The awards continue to stack up for the fifth-year senior, being named a Senior CLASS Award candidate. The award is given each year to a senior student-athlete who has achievements in four areas- community, classroom, character and competition.

Bloznalis explained that the Terriers are looking to get back on track tomorrow, coming from a double-overtime draw against Lehigh.

“Coming off the weekend, we tied Lehigh on Saturday and we weren’t quite satisfied with that so we are very excited to move on to play Holy Cross on Wednesday,” said Bloznalis.

The BU team holds a 3-5-3 record overall, playing a tough out of conference schedule, facing top-thirty teams like Arizona State, Cincinnati, and Louisville. The Terriers were able to beat crosstown rival Northeastern at the beginning of season for the first time in four years.

According to assistant coach and former player Emma Clark, their choice to play highly ranked teams in out of conference has prepared them well for Patriot League play, raising their confidence going into Wednesday’s match.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Nickerson Field.