The No. 11 Boston University field hockey team returns for another season under head coach Sally Starr and the team’s 2011 schedule is perhaps more grueling than ever. Fresh off a 10-8 season, the Terriers find themselves faced with the challenges of a new schedule composed of teams with both national and international status.
More than anything, Starr said she hopes her team can play with passion to go along with the roster’s raw talent.
“I want us to be playing with emotion,” Starr said.
Seven of BU’s 2011 opponents qualified for the 2010 NCAA Tournament, including the University of Maryland, who won both the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA championships last year. The Terrapins edged the Terriers 3-1 on Aug. 26 in Philadelphia.
The Terriers’ other opponents include 2010 NCAA teams such as the University at Albany, the University of Connecticut, the University of Massachusetts, Syracuse University, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
The Terriers only lost three seniors and added four new members. Among the new additions is junior forward Tabi Hatch, a transfer from Towson University who earned 22 points as a Tiger and led the team with 18 points and seven goals in 2010.
“Tabi has definitely gotten more comfortable,” Starr said of Hatch’s transition to BU.
Accompanying Hatch on the forward line is junior Macey Gaumond, who already leads the team in goals this season with four, and started all 18 games last season, earning herself three points on a goal and assist. The 5’10” Massachusetts native moves between the forward and midfield position, with a versatility common to many of the Terriers this year.
Also returning to the team is senior forward Andrea Greene, a former member of Chile’s junior team, who earned 29 points on 13 goals and three assists her first year with the Terriers during the 2010 season.
Starr included juniors Leslie Zules, Rachael White and sophomore Amira Downes as players who will step up this year to contribute to the offense.
“Even though she gets limited minutes,” Starr said of White, “she either scores a goal or sets one up.”
The midfield line includes players who switch between the midline and the backfield. Sophomore Dana Centofanti earned a starting position with the Terriers this year due to her performance in the preseason. Fellow sophomore Kat Spring joins Centofanti on the midline and has worked hard over the summer and improved her fitness, Starr said.
Sophomore Madeleine Hackett and redshirt freshman Anne Fruitema, “are young, but are getting better. They compete daily for starting positions,” Starr said.
Sophomore Ysi Schieb joins the midfield as well and while she only played in 14 games last season, Starr noted that, “She is the most skilled player and now that she is fitter, she is even more efficient.”
The Terrier’s back line holds up the fort, starting with junior Nicole van Oosterom. Van Oosterom stood out as an aggressive player last year, scoring five goals with four assists, and rejoins the defensive line, playing midfield and forward as well.
Joining van Oosterom is senior captain Kate Murphy, who started in every contest for the last two years. She provides leadership and control to an experienced backfield. Junior Jacinda McLeod provides offense to her fullback position.
She scored six goals last season, had four assists and earned Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts.
In goal for the Terriers this year is senior Julie Collins, redshirt sophomore Jess Maroney and freshman Valentina Cerda.
Collins was not able to participate in much of the preseason for academic reasons, but she has earned the start for the first few games of the season.
Cerda is fresh off a stint with the Chilean junior team and did not know she was coming to BU until just before the start of the preseason, and as a result, was not as prepared as she could have been.
“Her fitness was not as strong and her body broke down through the preseason,” Starr said.
However, Cerda managed to earn a start against Providence College last week and continues to improve and gain stamina along the way.
On the whole, Starr said she is proud of her team and knows they have a strong season ahead of them.
“We are a young team comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores,” Starr said. “Last year we had more of a veteran team with juniors and seniors.
“But we have a lot of experience, talent, athleticism and versatility on this team and we believe in ourselves,” she added. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we are going to take it one practice at a time.”
Starr said the main goal of the year is to be America East Conference champions, therefore gaining a berth into the NCAA tournament and successfully competing there as well.
One of the major concerns for the team this year is converting shots into points and converting penalty corners into goals, skills that Starr said the team needs to “fine-tune and execute during games.”
“We outshot the majority of our opponents 17-7 last year, but we did not outscore them,” Starr said.
The team must also adjust to new playing fields. Instead of playing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as they have for the past few years, the Terriers will now relocate to Jordan Field at Harvard University for all practices and for four games, and then to Newton Campus Field at Boston College for the remaining six home games.
The new home-field situation is something that will require some adjustments, but Starr hopes that her team can adapt and flourish as the season goes forward.
“Harvard is our home away from home and BC is our home away from home away home,” Starr said. “We are happy to be on quality fields.”
