In its first weekend of wins, the No. 19 Boston University field hockey team returned to Boston with an 8-5 overall record and a 2-0 record in the America East Conference after winning games against Dartmouth College and the University of Maine on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Winning both games 2-1, the Terriers fought through contests that were both physically and mentally exhausting.
“Dartmouth was a physical game,” BU head coach Sally Starr said. “But we kept our composure, which prepared us for the Maine game. We did not allow it to rattle us.”
Between the two contests, each team earned a combined seven green cards and one yellow card. Two came from junior fullback Jacinda McLeod and one from sophomore forward Ysi Schieb.
The Terriers posted two goals against the Big Green Friday afternoon at Chase AstroTurf Field, making it their eighth-straight win against Dartmouth, increasing their overall record against the team to 11-1.
The Terriers defeated the Big Green (8-4, 3-0 Ivy League) on goals from sophomore forward/midfielder Dana Centofanti and senior fullback and captain Kate Murphy.
Centofanti’s goal came in the 15th minute of play, giving her two goals on the season. After retrieving the ball off a rebound, the Terrier blasted it in on an assist from junior forward/midfielder Tabi Hatch.
After earning a penalty corner 10 minutes into the second half, the Terriers took advantage of the opportunity on a goal from Murphy. It was the captain’s second goal of the season as well, scored from the far corner of the circle. The play was assisted by junior midfielder/forward Nicole van Oosterom.
Though she did not put the Terriers on the board, junior forward Leslie Zules was a key factor in the Terriers’ win. After getting hit in the neck off a ball during Dartmouth’s first penalty corner in the second half, Zules returned to the game moments after icing her injury.
“It was her best college game,” Starr said. “I was really impressed. As soon as she came off the ice, she was trying again, which is a courageous thing to do. She played a fine hockey game.”
Freshman Valentina Cerda played the entire game in goal for the Terriers, coming away with three saves and one goal, which came in the second half after a Dartmouth penalty corner. Senior midfielder Kelly Hood earned the goal with assists from freshman midfielder Janine Leger and junior midfielder Lisa Masini.
The Terriers outshot the Big Green 21-10 and out-cornered them 9-6. However, while Dartmouth was not able to post a single corner in the first half, the team scored all six in the second half.
“We didn’t organize well in the midfield,” Starr said. “We allowed them to get into attacking circles and draw corners.”
On Sunday, the Terriers shattered an 11-game winning streak with their 2-1 victory over No. 10 Maine. The Black Bears (12-2, 1-1 AE), who are now 11-2, are second behind BU and UNH in the conference.
“It was a huge win,” Starr said. “It was a conference game. They are a shot and scoring team and can earn points on boards and their strikers can score for them.”
Starr also said that because it was a Sunday win, which capped off a two-win weekend, it provided a boost for the Terriers, who have only been able to achieve that feat once this season with two wins coming in their first home games against Providence College and Michigan State University.
The first goal came from BU 16 minutes into the game in high-flying fashion.
While in the air, van Oosterom blasted in a goal off a rebound from the top of the circle, hitting the backboard while still a few yards away. It is van Oosterom’s third goal of the season.
“It was the most amazing goal I have seen in my thirty years of coaching,” Starr said.
Starr compared it to a goal made by Bruin Bobby Orr in the 1970 Stanley Cup championship.
“She was going crazy,” Starr said of van Oosterom after her goal. “It was a key goal. We were controlling play up to that point and attacking a third of the field. We were able to pass back and get a goal in 41 seconds.”
After those 41 seconds, junior midfielder Macey Gaumond scored her eighth goal of the season by flicking the ball in from three yards out. The Massachusetts native leads the team in goals.
The Black Bears scored too little too late in the second half on a goal from freshman fullback Zoe Berkey, who was assisted by forward Jocelyn Mitchell.
Cerda made five saves against the Black Bears after playing all 70 minutes. BU led Main in shots 9-8 and tied in penalty corners, earning seven. Maine goalkeeper Brittany Fleck made three saves against the Terriers.
“Our preparation for this game came in the offseason,” Starr said. “The schedule we played and the tactical situations allowed us to make adjustments. The schedule really prepared us for conference games.”
Now tied atop the America East with UNH, the Terriers will look forward to edging the Wildcats out of first with a contest Friday night at Jordan Field.
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