Smith plays well in return to action from concussion

It was an instant classic. Home team defeats conference opponent. In overtime. At home. On Senior Day. After forcing the extra period with a game-tying goal with less than a minute and a half to play. Ultimately securing the third seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

But, despite all of these story lines, what made the No. 16 Boston University field hockey team’s regular-season finale against University of Maine extra sweet was the stellar play of senior goalie Amanda Smith, who has returned from a concussion just in time for the America East tournament and, hopefully, NCAA tournament action.

While it was sophomore striker Jacinda McLeod’s shot that ultimately ended the contest 2-1 in just the second minute of overtime and junior forward Andrea Greene’s team-leading 13th goal that tied the game near the end of regulation time, it was Smith’s steady pads and glove that kept the game within snatching distance for the Terriers.

“She definitely came up big for us, particularly in the second half,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “I can remember one shot in particular. It was going to her right, and it was just an amazing save that she made. It was an outstanding save that she made which, in a game like that, really kept us in the game and gave us an opportunity to win it.”

After the Black Bears scored first in the 34th minute when striker Kelly Newton tipped in a blocked shot on a penalty corner, the Terriers knew that they would need to be flawless if they were to keep the game competitive. Smith’s ability to hold the conference’s best offense (3.44 goals per game) to one goal while fighting off six shots on goal made for a gutsy performance.

The netminder was playing her first game after returning from a concussion that she suffered in a 3-4 loss to University of New Hampshire on Oct. 16.

“I think that the training staff was really concerned, which they need to be with concussions, and I think that we brought her back pretty gently,” Starr said. “I think that once she was ready to get into the net, she was really 100 percent. I think she had a really, really good week of practice, and I think she’s really excited to play.”

Smith looked focused in a demanding second half in which she made four saves, including the split-second kick save to her right that Starr described. Had any one of those shots gone in, the Terriers would undoubtedly be riding a four-game losing streak into the playoffs, preparing to play the top-seeded Wildcats, who have gone undefeated in AE after defeating University at Albany by a convincing score of 4-1.

Instead, the Terriers will take on the Great Danes in the first round of the tournament on Saturday.

And, Smith will be in goal.

The Terriers had been losing momentum this season leading up to its finale, with the team enduring a three-game losing streak that included a one-goal loss to the Wildcats and a loss on penalty strokes to the Great Danes. Injuries to Smith and senior striker Allie Dolce kept the team from playing at the caliber to which it was accustomed.

While sophomore backup goalie Julie Collins performed admirably in Smith’s place, the defense in front of her was not the same airtight machine that had opened the season. The Terriers’ saves per game average is 3.29, but in the last three games they have made seven, nine and six saves respectively.

The growing number of saves as compared to the season average reveals that more shots are getting through to the net, and that the Terriers would need their starting goaltender to have the best chance at winning games.

Starr talked about what might be causing the increase in shots on goal.

“It starts with our pressing,” Starr said. “It starts when we are high in our attacking field, and that was a strength of ours in the first half of the season. I think that we are addressing that now though this practice week. I think that we’ve given teams a little bit more easy outs, which gets them down into the attacking zone a little bit more frequently and it’s creating more shots for them.

“We are more in the defensive end of the field because we are not doing what we need to do in the attacking end of field to keep the ball there.”

With Smith tending the goal, the Terriers will look to her to stop the shots that come her way, while limiting that number as much as they can. Starr explained that the team is excited to be entering postseason play.

“You’ve got to be ready and excited regardless of who is injured, or sick, or who is healthy,” she said. “So, I think that having Amanda back is great, but I think that at this time of year, regardless of what our injuries are, we need to be excited. This is what you work all year for, postseason play.”