An offensive burst at the beginning of the second half paved the way to victory for the Boston University field hockey team Sunday, which upset No. 19 American University at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Jack Barry Field.
The Terriers (8-6, 2-2 America East) scored three goals in less than two minutes just after halftime and held on for a 4-2 non-conference victory, snapping American’s 10-game winning streak.
‘This was a huge game, and we played excellently,’ BU coach Sally Starr said. ‘I’m really proud of this team. We played with our heads and our hearts today. They played a really smart game … This was an excellent win.’
BU’s offense was led by senior forward Celeste Hubbard, who had three goals and one assist for her second hat trick of the season. She left the game, however, late in the second half after the ball ricocheted off her hand.
‘We’ll just have to have [Hubbard’s hand] X-rayed and hope it’s not a break,’ Starr said. ‘If it is, we’ll just tape the stick to her hand for the rest of the season.’
Hubbard got the scoring started in the contest when she found the back of the net just over five minutes into the first half, sending a loose ball past Eagles senior goalkeeper Laura Miller, who entered the game third in the nation in goals against average (.91) and second in save percentage (.864).
American threatened to tie the game at the 18-minute mark, but BU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Erin Prediger turned away a flurry of point-blank shots to ensure the Terrier lead for a short time.
The Eagles finally netted an equalizer with 5:18 remaining in the first half when freshman Heidi Hershberger capped the first half scoring.
At halftime, Starr made a couple of key offensive adjustments, including stressing the importance of quick restarts after Eagles fouls.
‘Halftime was a pivotal situation for our team to see how we would react in the second half,’ said Starr.
Initially, it appeared as though the adjustments might prove ineffective as the Eagles quickly grabbed a 2-1 lead when freshman forward Kaitlin DeTroia beat Prediger to the near side post for the first score of the second half.
The Terriers responded rapidly and repeatedly, however, thanks to the play of Hubbard, who sent a crossing pass to the left side where senior forward Genna Clough drove a shot past Miller to knot the game at 2-2 with 29:22 to go.
Before the Eagles could recover, Hubbard netted the eventual game-winning goal for the Terriers when she sent a backhanded shot past into the net only 49 seconds after Clough’s goal. Hubbard also added an insurance goal for BU when she dribbled around the American defense and netted her third unassisted goal of the afternoon.
For the rest of the game, the Terrier defense would take over. BU stifled the Eagle offense, which entered the game averaging 3.25 goals per game – the 13th highest pace in the nation.
‘The individual defense was outstanding and the collective defense was really good,’ Starr said. ‘The overall defense was so much better in the second half.’
The Terriers allowed only two shots on goal in the second half, one of which resulted in a save by Prediger that might have been her best of the entire season.
The Eagles had the ball in the circle and, after a quick pass, American senior forward Melissa Snyder found herself on the doorstep looking at an easy goal, only to be stuffed when a diving Prediger sealed off the open cage.
‘I saw the ball come of the stick, and I knew it wasn’t a pass so I figured there must have been someone behind me,’ Prediger said. ‘I just dove and tried to cover the near post.’
The redshirt freshman finished with six saves in the game.
This contest was a crucial victory for the Terriers, as it marked the first of five straight against opponents in the top 20 in the country. According to Prediger, the victory set the perfect tone for the next four.
‘This was definitely an important win for us,’ she said. ‘The more wins we get, the more confidence we will have against the other top-20 teams. This proves that we can compete with them and we can win.’