If the Terriers were red hot going into their most-anticipated game of the season so far, then No. 2 University of Maryland was just waiting to put out the flames.
The Boston University field hockey team fell to the undefeated Terrapins, 3-1, on Sunday in College Park, Md. after easily handling Fairfield University, 4-1, in Fairfield, Conn. on Friday.
The No. 14 Terriers (10-4, 2-0 America East) allowed two second-half goals to Maryland that ultimately spelled their doom.
“It was an excellent, hard-fought game,” sad BU coach Sally Starr. “It was more a midfield game, there wasn’t a lot of play in the circle, both offensively and defensively.”
Katie O’Donnell, Maryland’s team leader in points, netted a goal six minutes into the game. The Terriers answered back, though, as sophomore forward Gabby Hajjar tallied a goal at the 18-minute mark on an assist from junior midfielder Holly Wiles, and the teams entered the half tied at one.
Four minutes into the second stanza, Terrapin forward Sarah Scholl netted a goal on an assist from Alexis Pappas, who delivered another assist soon after, this time handing the ball off to Janneke Van Leeuwen for the Terps’ third and final goal.
Maryland, the Terriers’ toughest opponent by far this season, matched BU toe to toe up the field, giving the Terriers a fight for the entire game. The evidence of this, Starr said, could be seen in the teams’ matching penalty corners.
“The two teams were pretty equal,” Starr said. “You look at the Fairfield game and we had more penalty corners than they did, it was in the double digits. When teams are mismatched there are lots of penalty corners. Two apiece [against Maryland] showed how well matched up the two teams were.”
Friday, senior forward Sarah Shute notched her fourth career hat trick against the Stags, scoring all three goals unassisted. Wiles also notched a goal to go along with assists from seniors Pam Spuehler and Hayley Hamada. The lone Stag goal was scored by Amy Hoskings.
Shute began her goal barrage early in the first half, nabbing a pass just after Terrier midfielder Haley Robinson took a shot that rebounded off the left post. Shute buried the ball, giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead 12 minutes into the game.
“Sarah has an incredible competitive spirit,” Starr said. “Sarah has definitely been a consistent player who plays hard every game – it’s part of [her] personality. If we’re not doing well, she can be the spark that gets everybody focused. She’s such a great leader on the field.”
In the 28th minute, Wiles delivered the deciding goal on the corner, sending a laser past Stag goalkeeper Elizabeth Thomas from the top of the circle to give the Terriers a 2-1 lead heading into the second half.
The second half became the Sarah Shute Show, as “Shooter” notched her team-leading 10th and 11th goals in the 57th and 62nd minutes, respectively. The first of the pair came when Shute worked her way toward Thomas, pulling her out of goal. Shute then took a shot that passed Thomas and tipped off the stick of a Stag defender before resting in the goal. The second goal came when Shute weaved through a Stag defense and bulleted a shot past Thomas.
The Terriers utilized a platoon in goal, playing the reigning America East Rookie of the Week, Kim Kastuk, in the first half before redshirt freshman Amanda Smith, coming off an outstanding week of practice, guarded net in the second half. Kastuk made one save and allowed one goal, while Smith didn’t have to do as much as make a save.
“When you have numerous players competing for a position, it’s important to have players that support each other but also push each other,” Starr said. “Amanda and Kim are friends off the field and they respect and push each other on the field.”
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