The Boston University women’s soccer team looks to maintain its grip on first place in the America East when the Terriers travel west to take on the Albany Great Danes Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. BU (6-4-3 overall, 2-0-1 America East) has just one loss in its last eight games (4-1-3 in that span) and looks to improve to 5-0 all-time against Albany. The Great Danes are 1-12 overall, 0-3 in the America East, and will be looking to put the skids on an eight-game losing streak.

BU has been on a roll since America East play began two weeks ago. The Terriers have allowed just one goal in three games, having beaten Stony Brook (1-0) and Vermont (3-0), while tying Maine (1-1). BU has allowed just 10 goals all season and is led by its stellar defensive crew of fullbacks Brittany McDonald (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), Susan Marschall (Baton Rouge, La.) and Brooke Bingham (Duxbury, Mass.). The dual goal keepers of Christina Reuter (Madison, Wisc.), who is 3-1-2 with a 0.61 GAA and Stephanie Dreyer (New Rochelle, N.Y.), who is 3-3-1 with a 0.83 GAA, have combined for a 0.73 GAA, second-lowest in the league. Reuter and Dreyer rank second and third, respectively in the America East in individual GAA.

Offensively, BU may have begun to hit its stride, as the Terriers exploded for a season-best three goals against Vermont last week. After being blanked three times in its first five games, BU has only been whitewashed once in its last eight contests. Senior forward Meghann Cook (Melrose, Mass.) is leading the charge, with five goals and four assists, giving her a team-high 14 points. Cook is tied with Stacy Schwartz for the school record in career assists (22) and needs just one more dish to own the mark by herself. She is coming off her first two-goal game of the season against Vermont. Teammate Melissa Shulman (Huntington, N.Y.) has found the back of the net four times in 2005, and boasts nine points. She has two game-winning goals and ranks tied for second all-time in career goals scored at BU with 29. As a team, BU has put considerable pressure on its opponents this season, out-shooting foes 229-102 and owning an 85-38 edge in corner kicks taken.

Albany has lost 12 of its first 13 games on the year, the lone winning coming against Siena, 2-0. Coached by Kalekeni Banda (124-73-11 overall), the Great Danes are led by junior midfielder Jamie Dougherty, who has team-highs of three goals and six points. Sophomore forward Uju Ogbuawa has a pair of goals and four points, while senior forward Nicole Hercules has registered a team-best two assists. The Great Dane offense has mustered just seven goals in 13 games and has been shut-out eight times on the year. Between the pipes, Albany features the combination of juniors Ashley Neussle (0-5, 2.94 GAA) and Andrea Dunn (1-7, 3.15 GAA).

BU returns home Saturday night to take on Binghamton at 7 p.m. at Nickerson Field. Following the Albany visit, the Terriers will play four of their final five regular-season contests at home.