The Boston University field hockey team will take on No. 15 Stanford University in a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament today at Jack Barry Field at 1 p.m. A win would earn the Terriers their eighth appearance in the tournament.
After a hard-won match against the No. 17 University at Albany in Saturday’s conference finals, the Terriers (10-11) have had to shift their focus quickly from conference play to competing against an opponent they have not faced since 2004. Stanford (16-4) has had its most successful season in program history so far, defeating the University of California this weekend to claim its third consecutive NorPac Conference title.
While the Terriers rolled over the University of Maine and Albany by margins of three goals each in the America East Tournament, the Cardinal had an even easier time in theirs, winning 9-0, 6-1 and 3-0. Six of those goals were scored by junior midfielder Xanthe Travlos, who is also the overall leading scorer for the Cardinal.
The Cardinal have averaged 4.20 goals per game this year, while the Terriers, also an offensively-oriented team but a slightly less successful one, average 2.10. Both teams’ scoring is evenly distributed among their top forwards, indicating a depth of offensive weapons for each side.
In 2007, the Terriers advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time, upsetting the University of Iowa with a 1-0 overtime victory. BU went on to lose to the University of Connecticut in the quarterfinals and miss the tournament altogether last year, but despite the struggles they endured throughout this season, they now have another chance.
Though they are a young team, with two freshmen –‘-‘- Jacinda McLeod and Nicole van Oosterom, who leads the team in goals with nine ‘-‘- among the team’s top three scorers, the Terriers have proven their resilience and determination throughout this year, most clearly by rallying after a discouraging late-season losing streak to come back and win the conference title.
Senior co-captain Haley Robinson, who has been an anchoring force for the Terrier defense all year, was named Student-Athlete of the Week as well as Most Outstanding Player in the conference tournament this week. In addition to helping BU shut down Albany on nine corner opportunities on Saturday, Robinson also assisted on the Terriers’ game-winning goal against Maine on Friday. Her contributions will continue to be crucial to the team’s success as they look to qualify for the NCAAs.
Stanford will be a formidable opponent. In 20 games, the Cardinal have limited opponents to just 30 goals, and their only defeat by a margin of more than two goals came in a 6-2 loss to the No. 1 University of Maryland. However, Albany boasted a similarly impressive record, and in the end were no match for the Terriers, who gained a wealth of experience from struggling against a long list of nationally ranked foes early this season. BU has faced seven currently ranked teams, compared to Stanford’s two, which could give them an edge in stamina and mental preparation.
The Terriers are 2-0 in NCAA play-in games, defeating Central Michigan University to qualify in 2005 and Rider University in 2000. With the momentum and confidence they have gained from upsetting Albany, they will look to improve to 3-0 today.
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