BOSTON – Aside from securing a berth in the NCAA playoffs, the University of Maine women’s soccer team had a chance to accomplish a first in the America East Conference women’s soccer tournament.

Defeating Boston University, however, was a demanding order for the Black Bears, the first No. 6 seed to qualify for the conference championship game.

Jessica Luscinski scored twice as the top-seeded Terriers defeated Maine 4-0 for the title Saturday.

Despite going 2-4 in its final six regular-season games, Maine defeated Hartford 1-0 in a conference quarterfinal and reached the title game for the first time since 2006 by virtue of a 3-1 win last Sunday at Stony Brook.

“No player on this team has ever been to the America East final, so I think that was a huge accomplishment for us,” Maine captain Kelsey Wilson said.

“It wasn’t something we were surprised by. Going into each of our games before this, we knew we had a good chance to get here, and that’s been our goal since the beginning of the season.”

The Terriers (16-5) won their fourth consecutive America East championship and earned their sixth consecutive NCAA tournament berth. BU won its 13th consecutive game against the Black Bears (9-9) and continued a 13-game shutout streak that began Sept. 16 with a 3-0 win at Harvard.

“Defensively, they win everything in the air,” said Maine goalie Meagan Price-Leibenzeder. “They don’t let teams behind them.

“They have good coverage and teams don’t get behind them often. They’re very strong defensively.”

But the Terriers established their offensive presence early and took a 1-0 lead less than 20 minutes into the game.

Six minutes after an apparent goal by Jessica Morrow was waved off because of an offside call, Luscinski gave the Terriers a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when she picked up a rebound after Lisa Kevorkian’s shot from the right side to beat Price-Leibenzeder, who had seven saves.

Eight minutes later, Kevorkian gave BU a 2-0 lead.

“They’re very creative,” Wilson said of BU’s offense. “They don’t do what’s predictable necessarily, so it’s hard to defend them that way.

“But they work really, really well as a team and they’re able to get a lot of chances, which they capitalized on.”

Maine’s best first-half scoring chance came in the 39th minute, when Wilson was awarded a direct kick after being tripped. But her shot from about 25 yards went off the hands of starting goalie Kelly King (two saves) and above the crossbar.

Kylie Strom gave the Terriers a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the second half. Wilson then missed a second scoring chance for Maine in the 57th minute when her direct kick from 19 yards went high and wide of the BU goal, well out of the reach of goalie Alice Binns, who replaced King to start the second half.

“Every single game, we can take something to learn from, but I think our attack hit its stride,” said Luscinski, who scored her second goal with 15:42 left in the game.

“Our defense did amazing, as always, so I think it was a very consistent game for us.”

Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be reached at 791-6415 or at:

rlenzi@pressherald.com