The most exciting play in ice hockey has its place on the field, too. With its season on the line Tuesday afternoon against No. 14 Stanford University, the No. 20 Boston University field hockey team pulled its goalie and managed to stay alive.
Down 2-1 late in the second half, BU’s NCAA Tournament hopes were quickly slipping away. A strong start to the game was soon erased by complete Stanford domination in the second half. BU coach Sally Starr had seen enough and pulled junior goalie Amanda Smith in favor of an extra field player.
‘I absolutely think it [energized us],’ Starr said. ‘At that point it was the first time all game I felt we had our speed and quickness. After we pulled the goalie, we were breaking with much more urgency.’
The move almost backfired. Stanford immediately regained possession after the pull and forced the play in the Terriers’ defensive zone. After a timeout, Smith had to be put back in before being pulled again when the ball was safely on the other side of the pitch.
After this brief slip, the Terriers played with confidence not seen since the game’s first half and knotted the game with under a minute to go. Starr joked about the players’ transformation.
‘Sometimes we laugh as a coaching staff that we should just keep playing these guys without a goalie to get them to play like we think they can play,’ Starr said.
The coaching staff deserves much credit for preparing the team for this situation. Two weeks ago, in a non-conference game against Providence College, Smith was pulled with 13 minutes to go. While the move did not pay off then, BU’s attack did maintain constant possession and rarely allowed Providence past half-field.
‘It was a non-conference game. It was a game that didn’t mean anything,’ Starr said. ‘Absolutely, as a coaching staff, we decided to do it at that point in time just to practice it and have the girls gain confidence in it.’
The Terriers’ play conjures up the question ‘-‘- is having an extra player really that significant? Teams play with 10 outfield players apiece. An 11-on-10 situation should not present such a huge advantage.
The effect might be more psychological. BU players attacked with more urgency, knowing that one small slip-up can result in the game being put away. This kind of pressure could prove too much for some, so credit the Terrier players for rising when it counts the most.
Field hockey’s unique rules also help prevent any cherry-picking by the opposing team. A shot must come from inside the designated shooting circle near the nets in order for a goal to count. Therefore, midfield shots ‘-‘- like sometimes seen in ice hockey ‘-‘- would not result in an easy score.
Unfortunately, the Terriers could not use the tactic in overtime. Play shifts to six players a side, and the risk of allowing a cheap breakaway is just too great. As luck would have it, Stanford executed a quick fastbreak after sustained BU pressure to put in the winning goal and quell the furious comeback. The Terriers, coming from behind all year, could not make the final play.
