Field Hockey, Sports

Too big for the both of them?

Coming off of a weekend that saw it start conference play 1-0, the Boston University field hockey team will play its second America East game on Sunday against No. 15 University of Maine. On Friday, the team will face Dartmouth College.

The team’s weekend begins with a Saturday afternoon game against Dartmouth (7-3), whose 38 goals outnumber BU’s by almost 10. With their defeat of Penn State University last weekend, Dartmouth has now won five of its last six games.

Going into the second half down 2-1, Dartmouth ultimately beat Penn State with three second-half goals. Four different players scored for the Big Green as the team outshot its opponent 16-9.

Overall, Dartmouth has outshot its opponents 217-126 and the Terriers will push to be more aggressive against this strong opponent.

BU head coach Sally Starr said the key to victory against strong teams like Maine and Dartmouth is continuing the strong defensive play from last weekend.

“We have to play similar to how we did against Duke,” Starr said. “I really thought that we defended extremely well against Duke. Playing an aggressive defense, intercepting [the ball].”

Midfielder Kelly Hood leads Dartmouth’s team with 10 goals. Also contributing to the Big Green’s recent success is two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week Ali Savage, whose eight goals make her the team’s second leading scorer.

Friday’s game will prove an interesting match-up as Savage faces off against America East Rookie of the Week and BU goaltender Valentina Cerda.

Cerda recorded 10 saves last weekend, bringing her NCAA-leading save percentage up to .860. This dominant performance led to her being awarded the America East Rookie of the Week award for the second week in a row and the third time this season.

“Vale has had some great saves and she’s just getting better and better,” Starr said. “The team has a lot of confidence in her. That’s a position of strength for us.”

On Sunday, BU will play its second conference game of the season as it faces off against Maine. Led by American East Player of the Week Kelly Newton, Maine has won its past 11 games, with its only loss on the season coming during its first game.

With 29 goals to their opponents’ 13, the Terriers (6-5, 1-0 America East) face a challenge against the high-scoring Maine (11-1, 1-0 America East) team, which has scored 65 goals this season and averages 5.2 goals per game.

“Most importantly, we need to find a way to score some goals,” Starr said. “This week we’re going to be working on our team play and goal scoring.”

Long-standing conference rivals, the teams last met in the America East semifinal last year when the Terriers defeated the Black Bears 5-2. The Terriers were also successful in regular season play against Maine last year, defeating them 1-0 in the final game of the season.

America East play is a key part of the season for the Terriers, and for Starr, conference wins have long-term importance for the team.

“Our conference is better than ever,” Starr said. “Every win that you can get in your conference games are critical. It was very important to get that win [against Vermont last weekend] and get a good start.”

Maine’s solid record comes in large part from the team’s strong offensive play. The team averages 22.5 shots per game, and puts continuous pressure on their opponent’s defense.

“Maine is an outstanding team, they’re an explosive attacking team, they play hard, they play fast,” Starr said.

Newton’s two goals in Maine’s recent game against No. 17 University at Albany played a key role in the team’s 4-3 overtime victory this past weekend. Despite a 2-0 lead at halftime, the Black Bears allowed three goals to Albany, forcing the game into overtime. Newton’s overtime goal gave her team the victory in its first conference game of the season.

Starr believes that penalty corners are a key to the team’s success against teams like Maine and Dartmouth.

“I think it’s an area of our play that’s getting better and better as the season progresses,” Starr said. “I definitely feel that we’re starting to get some quality shots off.”

Since Sunday’s game is a conference match-up, Starr said the team is taking it very seriously.

“It’s a conference game, a big conference game,” Starr said. “I think the girls are going to be very excited about it.”

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