BOSTON, Mass. – The Holy Cross women's soccer team made its way to Boston to face Boston University for a Turnpike Trophy matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The Crusaders upset the Terriers, 1-0, to win a point in the Turnpike Trophy standings and earn their second conference win in a row.

Junior defender Grace Soltesz netted her first collegiate goal for the 1-0 win over BU. Junior goalkeeper Julia Walsh extended her shutout streak with now five in a row in goal for the Crusaders. The Holy Cross backline blocked a total of two shots in the game with Walsh coming up with nine huge saves to keep the Terriers off the scoreboard.

The Crusaders were on the defense in the first half of play with Walsh making six saves. Holy Cross took advantage of through balls, being patient and waiting for the right moment to strike. Finally, the Crusaders managed to draw a foul and have a great scoring opportunity just outside the box. Junior forward Ashley Blaka returned to the field for Holy Cross and drew the foul. Soltesz took the free kick for the Crusaders and drove a big shot that skimmed off a BU defender and past the goalie, resulting in her first collegiate goal at the 35:42.   

Holy Cross entered the second half on the attack getting more shots off in the Terriers defending third with multiple close chances. BU had a great chance with a Terrier taking a shot that just snuck past Walsh and hit off a Holy Cross defender edging towards the goal. Junior defender Emily Bubonovich cleared the ball just before it crossed the line to save the Crusaders lead. Holy Cross protected its lead and ran down the clock until the final whistle to take home its second conference win in a row in a 1-0 result.

"It's a fantastic result for us. I didn't think we played it as well as we have in some of the games this season. But we worked incredibly hard and we competed," said head coach Ben Graham. "We ground out a one-nil win, we kept a clean sheet and defended fantastically. And I'm really, really pleased and proud of the girls and hopefully we can take that into Loyola on Saturday."

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• In the first half, the Crusader got on the board with a long goal scored by Soltesz at 35:42.

• The Terriers out-shot Holy Cross 16-6 in the match.

• BU led 3-2 in corners.

INSIDE THE BOX:

• Walsh recorded a season high of eight save on the day adding to her fifth shutout in a row.

• Soltesz led the Crusaders attack, scoring her first collegiate goal and the game winner.

• This is the first time in four years that Holy Cross has beat BU (2-1, 2019).

PLAYER QUOTES:

• "It felt surreal. Especially against our rival, it felt awesome to put it in the back of the net. I can't thank my teammates enough. We fought the entire game, didn't switch off mentally for a second. We worked hard, competed, and got a great win against a very good BU team." — Grace Soltesz

• "We fought hard and came out with the win. Grace got an awesome goal in and we held them for 90 minutes. A shutout doesn't come from one person and neither does a win. We all worked our hardest to make sure that we won the turnpike championship and that's what we did." — Julia Walsh

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders return to action when they head to Baltimore, Md. to take on Loyola on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 12 p.m.