The Boston University field hockey team entered this weekend with a losing record and fading hopes for the remainder of the season. Thanks in large part to senior goalkeeper Susan Harrington and a renewed commitment to the attack, the Terriers left Sunday’s game with a three game winning streak and aspirations of great things to come.
The Terriers (6-5, 0-0 America East) started the weekend with a game Saturday in New Haven, Conn., against Yale University (2-6, 0-3 Ivy League). After an evenly matched first half, BU came out and controlled the second half, gaining a 14-2 edge in penalty corners and a 16-4 shot advantage over the Bulldogs.
While the Terriers dominated the play of the second half, they could only muster one goal, scored by junior midfielder Dalinda Banuelos. That goal would be enough, though, as Harrington posted her first shutout of the season, leading BU to a 1-0 victory.
On Sunday, the Terriers squared off against the University of Rhode Island at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Jack Berry Field. Rhode Island (0-11, 0-0 Atlantic 10) came into the game looking for their first win of the year, while the Terriers were hoping to build on their recent success and stretch their win streak to three games.
The game started off slowly, with each team failing to create any scoring chances until BU was awarded a penalty corner after more than 15 minutes of play. The Terriers made their penalty corner count when junior forward Lindsey Domers scored her fourth goal of the season, putting BU ahead, 1-0.
The goal seemed to provide a spark for the Terriers who began to control play with some excellent passing and clever runs on the right flank by junior forward Genna Clough.
The game stayed in BU’s favor until the closing minutes of the first half, when Rhode Island began to put some pressure on the Terrier defense. The Rams nearly scored off a penalty corner with less than three minutes left in the half, but Harrington dove across the net just in time to knock the ball away for the Terriers.
At halftime, BU Coach Sally Starr told the team to cut down on the number of scoring chances Rhode Island was getting. The best way to accomplish this, according to Starr, was to work harder at sustaining an attack, something the Terriers have had trouble with all year.
The Terriers got out of the gate in a hurry in the second half, matching their first half total of two corners in the first three minutes. Banuelos nearly gave BU a 2-0 lead early in the half, but was denied three times at close range by Rhode Island goalkeeper Danielle Dangoia. After a BU timeout with 9:37 left to play in the game, Banuelos finally got a shot past Dangoia and put the Terriers ahead for good.
This victory was the third in a row for the Terriers, and the second straight shutout for Harrington, and has the team feeling optimistic about the upcoming America East regular season.
“Our confidence is coming, we feel good about ourselves,” Starr said.
The Terriers hope to build on their recent success and continue having solid practices. One thing BU needs to work on is playing a full 70-minute game, something Starr feels could push BU from being a good team to being a great team. The Terriers will have to work hard in practice this week on playing a full game and sustaining an attack.
“I think this team is determined to make these adjustments,” Starr said.
The Terriers have some added incentive for Saturday’s game as they are looking to erase the memory of the 7-1 loss at the hands of the University of Maine last season.