Through a team effort, the No. 15 Boston University field hockey team dominated Fairfield University, 6-1, in the Play-In Round of the NCAA Tournament at home on Wednesday afternoon.
“We had six different people scoring goals today, and I think that really epitomized what this team is all about,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “We’re leaving this field with two great games this past weekend, claiming the Patriot League Championship, and then today, absolutely, emphatically claiming this play-in game, so we’re on our way to [No. 1 University of] North Carolina this weekend.”
The Terriers (15-6, 6-0 Patriot League) immediately took the lead over the Stags (9-10) with junior forward Amanda Cassera’s goal in the fourth minute. Cassera’s quick turn in front of the net determined a surefire goal.
Another goal quickly followed, this time from senior co-captain and midfielder Sofi Laurito. She drove the ball from the midfield towards the circle, then quickly chopped a backhanded shot which found its way to the back of the net, bringing the score to 2-0 within the first 10 minutes.
“I think we talked about how they pressed man-to-man, so if you broke that line, where you let people run in the circle, I just kind of went for it,” Laurito said.
Freshman forward Ally Hammel concluded the first half with a goal at the 29:37 mark, receiving a pass from freshman forward Kara Enoch and hammering it into the net for a 3-0 Terrier lead.
The first half saw few penalty corners, with just one opportunity for the Terriers, and no result. The second half, however, made up for the lack of action, with six total penalty corners between the two squads.
The play shifted towards the Terrier defense in the second stanza, though senior co-captain Rachel Coll believes the team maintained its strategy well.
“The key was to stay calm and composed,” Coll said. “We had a thing today to try to defend the 30-yard line like it was the circle, and I think, especially in the first half, we did that really well. We controlled it in the backfield, until they started taking over a little more, but I still think we did well controlling the game, for the most part, from the back.”
In the 61st minute, Stags back Erin Buckley scored on a penalty stroke, breaking junior goalkeeper Cammy Jensen’s shutout bid. The penalty stroke followed a harrowing save on Jensen’s behalf in which she dove to prevent what would have been a certain goal for Fairfield.
Scoring continued until the end of the match, with sophomore midfielder Kali Shumock, senior back Rachel Feig and junior forward Taylor Blood all notching tallies for the Terriers.
Feig’s goal in the 64th minute was one for the books, when she received a shot across the net from junior midfielder Hester van der Laan and sent a rocket to the back of the cage.
Starr was particularly impressed with Blood’s return from injury and its effect on the team.
“She was playing her best hockey prior to the injury,” Starr said, “but she felt like her body was starting to feel dinged up a little bit, and I think those two weeks off really helped her to get back to a really high level of play. She’s just been outstanding, as all of the strikers are. I love how they press, they create their own offense, and when they get the ball they’re really dangerous.”
The Terriers are now slated to play their next game in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, against the Tar Heels (18-2). Starr is optimistic, and believes her team is ready to take on its fifth Atlantic Coast Conference opponent of the campaign.
“I don’t think there’s anything we haven’t seen this year,” she said. “We’ve played the best teams in the country, but we haven’t played UNC and I think it’s kind of great because I don’t think they can throw anything at us that we didn’t see against [No. 2] Syracuse [University], against [No. 3 University of Connecticut], against [No. 7] Wake [Forest University], against [No. 6] Duke [University].”
Starr went on to say that the Terriers are nothing but ready to head south.
“Pretty much every year we get a win against an ACC team, and we haven’t done it this year yet,” she said. “I think we’re looking forward to the opportunity to head down to North Carolina to claim that one.”
