A strong second half by the Boston University field hockey team was not enough to overcome an early deficit as the Terriers (6-6, 1-2 America East) dropped a key conference game to the University of Maine by a score of 2-1 on Saturday.
BU outshot the Black Bears 8-0 in the second half, but failed to erase the two-goal lead that came from goals by Maine seniors Karly Bundy and Jana Ouellete. The Terriers’ performance was strongly reminiscent of a similar conference loss to the University of New Hampshire in September, when BU rallied to score two goals at the end of regulation, but lost 3-2.
‘[Consistency] has been something we’ve been struggling with all season. We need to step it up in the first half and prove what we are capable of. We’re trying to focus on getting more consistency,’ said BU senior forward Celeste Hubbard, who scored the lone Terrier goal with less than 10 minutes to play.
On Saturday, the Terriers outshot the Black Bears by an overall count of 12-7, and nearly doubled up Maine in penalty corners, 9-5. In the second half, BU had five penalty corners to Maine’s none.
The loss extends field hockey’s losing streak to three consecutive games and puts the Terriers in fourth place in the America East standings. With three conference games remaining on the schedule, the team is trying to climb out of the hole and achieve its preseason goals, according to Hubbard.
‘[The losing streak] is definitely taking its toll,’ Hubbard said. ‘We’re at .500 right now. But we are still capable of reaching all of our goals, of making the conference tournament and winning the America East championship.’
The three conference matchups left on the schedule are contests against fifth-place University of Vermont (1-13, 0-1 America East), second-place Northeastern University (11-4, 2-0 America East) and seventh-place University of Maryland, Baltimore County (1-9, 0-2 America East).
This season’s Terrier squad has been plagued by a failure to perform at its peak level of play for an entire game. BU has especially struggled on the road, amassing an overall record of 3-4 and being outscored 22-9.
Saturday’s performance, according to Hubbard, is not indicative of how well the Terriers are capable of playing. The team is still optimistic about its chances to win the America East conference, she insisted.
‘We still have a chance,’ Hubbard said. ‘We haven’t put ourselves in the best situation, but this is not over yet.’
The Terriers’ next game is against the University of Vermont at 4 p.m. this Wednesday at Jack Barry Field on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It will be the final home America East game for BU this season.