They’d waited long enough. It had been five years since the Boston University field hockey team saw play after the America East Tournament. And it had been 59 minutes since the start of the game, a match that labored as a 0-0 tie up to that point.
Then, just like that, the tie exploded, shattering into pieces over a six-minute stretch that saw the Terriers score three times. The University of Maine could only put up one goal of protest, as the Terriers won, 3-1, to win their fifth America East title, and first since 2000. The Terriers move on play Central Michigan University in a play-in game for the 16-team NCAA Tournament.
“This has been a goal of ours all year,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “Our focus has been to take it one game at a time, but the best part about [Sunday] is that this game really means something. We’re America East champions.”
The Terriers reached Sunday’s match by beating the University of Vermont in Friday’s semifinal match. Holly Wiles, named the conference’s Rookie of the Year Thursday night, scored five points on two goals and an assist to give BU the 5-1 victory. Maine advanced later that afternoon with a 1-0 win over the University at Albany.
Despite allowing Maine just one shot in the first half, the Terriers were unable to capitalize. BU’s offense stalled against a stingy Maine defense that recorded four shutouts in its last five games. The Terriers kept the ball in their attacking zone for the majority of the first half, but kept getting turned away at the net by Maine goalie Rebecca Giroux.
In the closing minutes of the first half, the Terriers had a chance to score on a penalty corner, but Maine’s defense interfered and stripped the ball. BU went on the defensive to prevent the Black Bears from scoring before the break.
Despite the struggles in the first half, senior tri-captain Colleen McClay said she had no worries about the offense after the break.
“I knew our attack always pulls through, we have all season,” McClay said. “We were getting shot after shot. It was just a matter of time before they started going in the net.”
Starr used the 15-minute halftime break to settle her team down. “I told them to stay calm,” she said. “Just to play hockey for 35 minutes and not think about what the consequences mean, because I think that affected them in the first half.”
The first 20 minutes of the second half passed much like the first. BU controlled the ball, but was unable to complete the plays necessary to get the ball into the net. In the 59th minute, BU appeared to score the first goal of the game, but the officials waved off the goal and granted the Terriers a penalty corner. But junior Ashley Parker came through on a deflected ball to give BU a 1-0 lead.
After taking 59 minutes to score the first goal, it took the Terriers just three more minutes to score the second. After a BU shot resulted in another Giroux save, sophomore Sarah Shute took advantage of the keeper out of the cage, collected the rebound and earned her first goal of the game.
Maine refused to give up, scoring on the team’s one penalty corner opportunity to cut the deficit to 2-1, but BU recovered quickly. With less than five minutes left to play, Shute scored her second goal 20 seconds later.
Goalie Erin Prediger earned one save in the game.
Four Terriers – seniors McClay and Caitlyn Cassara and sophomores Sarah Hudak and Pam Spuehler – were named to the All-Championship team. McClay, a four-year starter for the Terriers, was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
“It’s a big honor, because everyone here is an amazing player,” she said. “Everyone here worked just as hard as I did. And my teammates – I couldn’t do it without them. Half the time, they’re making me look good.”
The win stretches out the final season for McClay and the team’s other seniors who came close to making the postseason last year, but fell short in the title match.
“I’m just really happy for our senior class, and also our freshman class,” Starr said. “They have been pivotal in turning this program back into the winning tradition it has always had. You really saw what Boston University field hockey is made of in the second half. They weren’t going to be denied.”
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