A season of comebacks finally caught up with the No. 20 Boston University field hockey team. Within inches of realizing their goal of an NCAA Tournament berth, the Terriers simply could not defeat a difficult No. 14 Stanford University opponent.
The play-in game against the Cardinal perfectly summarized BU’s season. The Terriers were down for a good portion of the matchup, but freshman Jacinda McLeod’s goal with 21.7 seconds left in regulation restored hope. The optimism would prove short-lived, however ‘-‘- the Cardinal’s overtime goal at 76:56 put an emphatic end to the Terriers’ season.
Early in the year, it was hard to fathom that the Terriers could get themselves in position to qualify for the national tournament. A young team and a difficult out-of-conference schedule factored into BU’s 1-5 start. Early opponents included three eventual NCAA Tournament participants: the No. 2 University of Virginia, the No. 1 University of Maryland and No. 9 Boston College.
A 4-3 loss to Northeastern University exemplified this stretch for the Terriers. Merely a day after a tough overtime loss to BC, BU staged a hard-fought second-half comeback that was erased by a last-minute Huskies goal.
‘They won it just as Jacinda McLeod was off the field through an injury,’ Starr said. ‘Our defensive integrity was compromised because we had to put people, positionally [sic], where they were not used to their spot.’
A lack of timely execution plagued the Terriers throughout the early part of the season. For example, the 5-1 loss to Duke University in early October was played a lot closer than its score indicated. BU controlled the pace for the majority of the game but just could not finish. A few fast breaks in their favor and the Blue Devils had blown the game completely open.
But, sitting with a 4-8 record, Starr was not discouraged. After the game, she emphasized that the ultimate goal was not out of reach.
‘Everything we want to accomplish can still be accomplished,’ Starr said. ‘Our goal is to win conference and see what happens from there.’
The return to the familiar confines of America East was a welcome sight for the Terriers. BU rolled off victories against the University of Vermont, Fairfield University and the University of New Hampshire before losing the top seed to the No. 18 University at Albany, in a 2-0 home defeat on Oct. 24.
It was in the America East Tournament, however, that the Terriers really took control of their season.
A dominant 5-2 win over the University of Maine set-up a rematch versus Albany in the final on Nov. 7. The Great Danes, who had eliminated BU from the tournament the previous year, went into the game as favorites.
In the end, Starr’s midseason proclamation held true ‘-‘- the Terriers rolled to a 4-1 victory in the final to secure their fourth America East championship in five years.
‘We’re very young, and every time you win a championship, it’s not easy to do,’ Starr said. ‘To come together and continue to believe, all of that really came through that weekend.’
As Starr had stressed all year long, the Terriers were a young team with only two seniors, Nikki Lloyd and Haley Robinson, on the starting roster. Two freshmen, McLeod and Nicole van Oosterom, stepped up to provide the scoring punch ‘-‘- combining for 44 points over the course of the season.
‘We knew they were going to be very talented, very good hockey players,’ Starr said of the rookie backs. ‘They come from a country that’s very big on field hockey ‘-‘- New Zealand ‘-‘-‘ so they started playing as young children, and they’re good athletes. Not only have they made great contributions as hockey players, they’re great teammates.’
McLeod, who scored a goal in each of the Terriers’ three postseason games, was named America East Rookie of the Year. Van Oosterom scored the game-winning goal for BU in the conference final against Albany and was the only Terrier freshman to start all 22 games this season.
Aside from their young stars, the Terriers relied on senior co-captains Lloyd and Robinson for leadership on and off the field.
‘Nikki just had a great senior year,’ Starr said. ‘She’s very adaptable and played both striker and midfield for us. I think she’s not only one of the most skilled players in the team, but one of the most skilled players in the country.
‘She’s really creative and has excellent speed ‘-‘- she’s a very exciting hockey player to watch, and definitely a significant reason we were so successful in the postseason.’
Lloyd stood out on the field throughout the season for her eye-catching, explosive speed. In contrast, Robinson may have flown under the radar as a back/midfielder, but experience and skill made her the backbone of BU’s defense.
‘Robbie was great not only as a hockey player but as a leader on this team,’ Starr said. ‘She had a very young defense around her ‘-‘- a freshman on one side, a sophomore on the other and another freshman behind her, which is a very young back four, and she was really the glue that held them together.’
The Terriers will miss Lloyd and Robinson, elite players who were both named to the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association All-Northeast Teams. But the rest of the talented, resilient team that recaptured the America East championship this year will be returning next year, ready to defend their title and establish themselves as one of the top programs in the country.
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