The Final Act

In its final home game of the regular season, the Boston University field hockey team will face local rival Harvard University today at Jack Barry Field. Senior Day will be commemorated before the contest, honoring the class of 2009 and celebrating the careers of Hayly Ross, Holly Wiles and Lizzie Perreault.
‘It’s going to be emotional,’ BU coach Sally Starr said. ‘It’s their last home game. The underclassmen usually come out and play really hard for the seniors, so I’m expecting our team to play with a lot of passion and commitment to do what they need to do to be successful. We need to sustain our competitive fire for 70 minutes.’
The visiting Crimson (6-8) has had an inconsistent season. Harvard lost five out of six early in the season before rattling off four straight wins, including victories against Northeastern University and the University of Vermont. The team is currently mired in a four-game losing streak, most recently dropping a 5-0 decision at No. 12 Princeton University.
Leading the Harvard offense is sophomore Leigh McCoy, who paces the team in points (14) and goals (6). Senior goalkeeper Kylie Stone, who has started every game for the Crimson, owns a 2.14 goals-against average and a .732 save percentage.
‘Harvard is always a really tough match for us,’ Starr said. ‘They’re a really good team ‘-‘- a well-coached team. They’re playing some really good hockey this year. I’m anticipating a hard-fought contest.’
The matchup between the Terriers (8-9) and Crimson will be the 30th in their storied rivalry. BU holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 16-12-1, including victories in each of the last three games. In their last meeting one season ago, the then-No. 14 Terriers posted a 2-0 shutout win at Harvard.
Helping the home team’s cause this year will be the reigning America East Player of the Week, graduate student Sheena Berry, who earned the award after scoring both goals in last week’s 2-0 upset of the then-No. 6 University of Connecticut.
‘I sound like a worn-out record, but we really need to maximize the scoring opportunities that we have with our corners and when we have the ball in our attacking circle,’ Starr said. ‘We need to be more aggressive, we need to be willing to dive and have a desperation to score. As of yet, we haven’t shown that on a consistent basis and, if we can do so, I think we’re going to start winning some hockey games.’
The seniors surely would love to end their careers at Jack Barry Field on a good note, and Starr believes their teammates will rise to the occasion.
‘I’m expecting a game where our seniors are going to come out ready to put forth an excellent effort,’ Starr said. ‘I know that the underclassmen, the ones who are supporting them right now, are really going to be ready to come out and make sure that when the seniors walk off the field for the last time for a competitive game, they’re walking off with a smile on their face.’