In a game that started Friday night at 7 p.m. and didn’t draw to a conclusion until almost 5 p.m. the following Monday, the Boston University field hockey team (8-6, 2-1, America East) lost 4-3 to the University of New Hampshire (13-3, 3-0, America East) with less than a minute left in overtime.
The game, which was called at the half when rain and thunder made continued play impossible, was a heartbreaking loss for the Terriers, who greatly outplayed their opponents Monday afternoon and had hoped to gain sole possession of first place in the America East Conference.
“It’s a tough loss, because I just felt we played this game well enough to win today,” said BU head coach Sally Starr. “We actually won the game 2-1.”
Friday night’s rainy half was marked by sloppy play from the Terriers, who allowed the Wildcats to score only eight minutes into the half. This first goal, scored by forward Haley Rauch, put the team on the board early and they continued to dominate BU for most of the half.
The half was marked by multiple missed scoring opportunities for BU, as the team failed to capitalize on corner opportunities.
While the Terriers struggled to get the ball in the goal, UNH doubled its lead off a long shot by senior Whitney Frates, whose eventual hat trick marked the continuation of a dominant senior season.
“Whitney Frates is having an out of body senior year,” Starr said of Frates’ dominant play. “She’s an outstanding striker for them, and she scored a great goal.”
BU finally got on the board with ten minutes left in the rainy first half. Junior forward/midfielder Tabi Hatch deflected a pass from sophomore forward Amira Downes into the goal to cut the Wildcat’s lead in half.
But the Terriers would not have an opportunity to catch up with their opponents until Monday afternoon as rain and thunder forced the officials to call the game before the second half could begin.
Starr looked at the two halves as “Totally separate. We changed our structure. We changed our personnel. [Monday] we played as a team. We played with passion and collective energy. Friday night I thought we were flat.”
BU outscored its opponents 2-1 in the second half of the game and out-shot the Wildcats 17-7. Despite this strong second half performance, the Terriers lost in overtime when Frates scored her third goal of the game for UNH.
The second half remained scoreless until a yellow card against UNH gave the Terriers the opportunity they needed. During a corner mere seconds after the penalty, BU tied the score against its conferences rivals.
The goal, by junior Jacinda McLeod was the push the Terriers needed as they continued their strong play throughout the rest of the second half. The team’s aggressive offensive play proved highly effective throughout the night.
“We gave them no defensive penalty corners,” Starr said of the strong play. “Our defense was outstanding tonight against an outstanding attacking team.”
UNH took the lead again off of a second goal by Frates moments after they returned to full strength. Three minutes later, the Terriers responded with another goal by senior forward Andrea Greene.
Neither team would score again in regulation time. In an overtime marked by continuous back and forth movement, both teams failed to score until Frates recorded her third goal of the game with 58 seconds left, giving the Wildcats the win.
The loss was especially devastating for the Terriers as they dropped to second place in the America East standings, despite their incredibly strong second half.
Looking back on the game, Starr said, “We did things well enough today to win.”
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