When the Boston University field hockey team lost to Harvard University, 1-0, yesterday, it was like a trip back to the beginning of the season.
Once again, the team had trouble mustering any scoring opportunities, registering only two shots and two penalty corners. On the other hand, the Crimson were able to get off 17 shots and 11 corners.
After scoring five goals against the State University of New York at Albany in its previous game, BU was controlled by the Harvard defense from the beginning. The Terriers looked like the team that scored four goals in a span of six games earlier in the year as opposed to the squad that recently won seven out of eight games.
Once again, lone senior and goalkeeper Susan Harrington was outstanding, making seven saves in what could be her second-to-last game as a Terrier. Harrington will need to be as good, with more help from her offense, if she hopes to continue her career past Saturday and into the America East Tournament.
Luckily for BU, the game didn’t have any post-season implications. Even if BU won 10-0, it would still need to win Saturday’s game at Northeastern just to qualify for the America East Tournament.
Lately, the Terriers have excelled in non-conference play, defeating ranked teams such as Princeton University and the University of California at Berkeley, as well as the University of Connecticut.
Those wins helped BU attain a No. 17 ranking in the polls, but have not helped them with conference play, which is where the team needs to be successful in order to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Terriers would have loved to have the momentum of a win over Harvard entering Saturday’s big game, but it is not necessary.
After defeating Berkeley and Connecticut, the Terriers traveled to Vermont in what was the biggest game of the season up until that point. The Terriers then lost to Vermont, 2-1, on penalty strokes. Had the Terriers won that game, it would have locked up a conference tournament appearance by now.
Yesterday’s loss was clearly a disappointing one, especially on the offensive end. While BU kept stopping Harvard’s many scoring opportunities, the Crimson were finally able to convert with under two minutes remaining.
A win on Saturday, however, will erase any memory of yesterday’s performance. It will prove to the Terriers that they can beat the best in the America East, and will make them a dangerous team in the conference tournament.
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