The No. 20 Boston University field hockey team barely had time to celebrate its 3-2 victory Saturday over Northeastern University before turning around and shellacking Dartmouth College, 8-3, on Sunday.
Though the rains that swept Boston on Saturday morning made for soggy conditions at Northeastern’s Sweeny Field, BU coach Sally Starr said it worked toward the Terriers’ advantage.
“We want a wet turf,” Starr said. “I like to tell the team ‘The pool is deep.'”
The “pool” was definitely deep and the Terriers (5-2) showcased their gritty team mentality while trudging through the slop.
“When it’s wet it allows for a lot more diving efforts,” Starr said. “It’s similar to soccer in that you can be more physical when it’s wet.”
Many Terrier players embraced the physicality on both ends of the field. The Huskies (2-4) also showcased their toughness, highlighting the begrudging respect between the cross-town rivals.
“Playing Harvard, Northeastern and BC, they’re all about bragging rights,” Starr said. “The game against Northeastern was a quality game — there is a lot of mutual respect there.”
The defense was solid, but the offense stole the show. In a first-half sequence that could very well be the trademark of great field hockey, junior forward Tamara Becker, moments after swiping the ball from a Northeastern back, penetrated the scoring circle and fed senior Sarah Shute a pass in front of the net.
“Shooter” did what has made her the Terriers’ co-leader in goals for the Terriers this season, sending the ball on net. But Huskies goalkeeper Liz Centofanti deflected the shot to the goal’s far side and temporarily out of striking distance. Senior forward Havley Hamada turned the ball around in a hurry for a 1-0 Terrier lead. The Huskies later knotted the score at one with a penalty-corner goal by senior Harriet Hoyer to send the teams into the locker room tied.
In the 52nd minute, Terrier back Lizzie Perreault mugged a Huskies forward and drove to the opposite end of the field before feeding a perfect pass to forward Hadley Adams at the top of the circle. Adams, seeing Centofanti dive to her right, rocketed the ball to her left for another Terrier point.
The Terriers scored another goal when sophomore Haley Robinson blooped a shot over Centofanti, and they allowed only one more Northeastern goal, when the Huskies scored on a penalty corner late in the second half.
The momentum continued as the Terriers rolled into Hanover, N.H., looking for their third-straight win over Dartmouth College (2-4). Though the 8-3 score suggests the Terriers made easy work of the Big Green, the game was much closer than the scoreboard indicates.
“Both teams really played outstanding,” Starr said. “What I loved was the resiliency of both teams. We’d score and they’d answer or they’d score and we’d answer.”
However, the Big Green apparently had no answer for how to stop midfielder Pam Spuehler, who tallied seven points Sunday with two goals and three assists. Sunday was a career day for Spuehler, who leads or is tied for the Terrier lead in three major offensive categories.
“She’s one of the top players in the country,” Starr said. “We move her around the field, a new tactic that we’ve utilized. It’s helped us create a dangerous midfield along with Suus Dekker and Haley Robinson.”
Becker, Hamada, senior Hadley Adams, sophomore Gabby Hajjar and junior Holly Wiles (two goals) also joined the scoring parade.
Freshman goalkeeper Kim Kastuk picked up her second win of the weekend, playing all 70 minutes of Sunday’s game after playing the entirety of Saturday’s contest.