The Boston University field hockey team has resigned itself to missing the NCAA Tournament again, after disappointing losses to Harvard University and Northeastern University.
The team still hopes, however, to be invited to the ECAC Championships, the field hockey equivalent to basketball’s NIT.
When looking back on their failure to reach the America East or NCAA Tournament, the Terriers (11-9), are most haunted by their inconsistent play and missed opportunities.
‘This was really a Jekyll and Hyde season,’ said BU Coach Sally Starr. ‘Our inconsistency prevented us from fulfilling our goals of an America East Championship.’
The Terriers’ inconsistency was most often seen in conference play, where the team finished with a 2-3 record. Losses to the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont put BU in a must-win position against Northeastern, a game they lost, 2-1.
BU’s 3-1 loss to the University of New Hampshire was the team’s only loss during a stretch where it won seven out of eight games. Three of those wins came against top 20 teams the University of Maine, Princeton University and the University of California at Berkeley. Yet, the Terriers were not able to bring the level of play used in big non-conference wins to America East play.
‘[The New Hampshire game] was indicative of our problems all season,’ Starr said. ‘We were outstanding in the first half and could have been up by three or four goals.
‘We dropped our effort in the second half and let the game get away.’
A win against Vermont, coupled with its win against the University at Albany, would have put BU in the conference tournament, but the team lost, 2-1, on penalty strokes.
Starr and her team regret the Vermont loss more than any other this season.
‘If I could have one game back this year, it would be [Vermont],’ said junior midfielder Dalinda Banuelos. ‘That was a major disappointment.’
Despite not making its conference tournament, Starr is ’75 percent sure’ the team will be invited to the ECAC tournament. The team hopes to use that tournament as a springboard into next season, when everyone except goalkeeper Susan Harrington will be back.
‘I want to see us sustain a good level of play for a few games,’ Starr said. ‘We haven’t been able to put together more than two or three good games at a time this year.
‘And I want a championship.’
‘It works to our advantage because it’s like getting a head-start on next season,’ Banuelos said. ‘It can give us the upper hand next year.’
With all of their offensive and defensive players returning next year, the Terriers are confident that a good showing will carry over into next season.
‘This season was disappointing, but next season should be great,’ Starr said. ‘I’m looking to see a positive end to this one and a solution for some of our problems.’
If the Terriers make the ECAC tournament, it will be because of their impressive non-conference wins.
Throughout the season, the Terriers defeated the University of Connecticut, Yale University and Ball State University, in addition to California and Princeton,.
The victories over Ball State and Yale began the winning streak that carried the Terriers into the top 20 polls. Heading into its loss to Northeastern, BU was ranked 17th in the country.
Offensively, the team received breakout seasons from junior forwards Lindsey Domers and Celeste Hubbard, as well as Banuelos. The high-scoring offensive trio led the team with a combined 67 points.
Domers tallied five goals and seven assists, after notching only two goals last season. Hubbard improved from six points last year to 26 this one, with 11 goals and four assists. Banuelos was right behind Hubbard with 10 goals and four assists for 24 points. Last year, Banuelos tallied 10 points.
As they continue to play together and improve individually, they will form one of the more potent offensive attacks in the America East, and possibly the country.
‘It’s frustrating, because we were just starting to click,’ Banuelos said. ‘The chemistry was coming around and we were really playing well together.’
With additional scoring help from sophomore forward Kara Rossi, and strong defense from sophomore backs Lauren Vendetti and Meredith Long, BU will be one of the favorites in the America East.
Next year’s team will be a veteran group, and seniors Genna Clough, Whitney Peabody and junior Erin Burke-Webster will be looked at to provide leadership on and off the field.
Now, the Terriers wait to hear if they will be accepted into the ECAC Tournament. The decision will be made next Tuesday.
While it is short of the team’s pre-season goal of the NCAA Tournament, they will take it now, and hope it will help them make the dream of winning the America East a reality next year.
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