The Boston University field hockey team closed out its 2009 regular season by splitting its final two games. A 2-0 home loss to the No. 20 University of Providence Friday afternoon was followed by a 1-0 nail-biting victory at the University of Maine two days later.
After starting off the year at 1-5, the Terriers battled back to an 8-11-0 record overall. Their 4-1 conference mark has earned them the second seed in next weekend’s America East Tournament.
But there was little to celebrate as the weekend kicked off at Jack Barry Field. A flat-footed BU team was exposed by Providence (10-9), as the Terriers again failed to display timely execution, something that has plagued the team the entire year.
BU generally maintained momentum through the early moments of the game, earning a pair of penalty corners that could not be converted. Poor play on penalties would define the rest of the game.
The Friars gained their first lead on a corner of their own. With 12 minutes to go in the first half, Providence junior Julie Ruggieri deflected in a shot over sprawled out junior goalkeeper Amanda Smith.
BU immediately answered with a dangerous counterattack off the ensuing faceoff. A great defensive play on the goal line prevented the ball from going in and preserved momentum for Providence.
The Terriers continued to push for the equalizer before halftime, but could not capitalize on any of their six first-half corners. BU coach Sally Starr was not worried about the poor corner play.
‘Our timing was a little off,’ Starr said. ‘But quite honestly, we don’t want to show a whole lot at this time of year on our attack penalty corners.’
Six minutes into the second half, the Friars again scored a goal off a penalty corner. Senior Nellie Poulin deflected senior Adrienne Marois’ shot into the corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
With 13 minutes to go in the game, goalie Amanda Smith was pulled in favor of an extra field player. While the decision was a curious one at the time, it did not come back to hurt the Terriers as the defense barely allowed the ball into their defensive zone. Unfortunately, the extra attacker’s boost did not translate into the scoring column.
‘It’s one of the last games of the season and we need to win,’ Starr said of the decision. ‘No risk, no reward. High risk, high reward.’
The star of the game was unquestionably Friars goalkeeper Rachel Chamberlain, who stopped 11 saves for her third shutout of the season. She ensured the Providence defense would bend but not break with her timely stops throughout the game. BU’s Smith finished with three saves on five shots on goal.
On Sunday, the Terriers tried to close out their season on a high note in their tilt with conference rival Maine (12-6, 3-2). A barrage of penalty corners would again be awarded, this time with better results.
With three minutes to go from the halftime break, junior midfielder Allie Dolce, as she has done all season, was able to put the Terriers ahead. Senior forward Nikki Lloyd collected her own rebound off the team’s eighth corner and found an open Dolce, who did not miss.
The goal proved enough, as BU’s defense was able to hold the Black Bear’s in check. This time, it was the opponent that would pull the goalie to no avail. This tale of two halves saw BU outshoot Maine 15-4 in the first half while conceding the advantage 3-7 after the break.
Smith and redshirt-freshman Julie Collins combined for eight stops en route to the shutout. Collins earned her first America East Rookie of the Week honor after her scoreless half.
With the regular season over, the team is gearing up for playoff action to start. BU will faceoff against Maine in a rematch next Friday at 4 p.m. The victor will go on to play the winner of the University at Albany-University of New Hampshire semifinal the next day. All games will be played at Albany.
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