Despite its 2-1 loss at the hands of Northeastern University Friday, the No. 20 Boston University field hockey team once again saw its bench provide a huge lift in a close contest.
This time, sophomore forward Taylor Blood lent her stick to the cause, as she scored for the second time in as many games, igniting the Terrier (4-4, 1-0 Patriot League) attack. Coming off the bench has lit a fire in Blood, who scored her first collegiate goal versus Yale University just five days prior to facing the Huskies (8-2).
Blood, who started in 17 games as a freshman during the 2013 season, has performed well when spelling fellow sophomore forwards Amanda Cassera and Sara Martineau.
Meanwhile, another underclassman is turning some heads herself.
Freshman midfielder Kali Shumock earned her first points on Sept. 20 against conference foe Lafayette College. The Patriot League Rookie of Week recipient tallied BU’s first goal of the game, and she contributed the assist on Cassera’s game-winner in the 2-1 conference victory.
Terriers accustomed to one-goal matches
In a largely back-and-forth season for the Terriers, their proclivity for playing in tight games has remained a constant.
Seven out of BU’s eight contests this season have been decided by just one goal, including its last five matchups. The only time this season a Terrier game was decided by more than one goal was when they lost 3-0 versus No. 7 Stanford University.
BU is 4-3 in one-goal games this year, and 2-1 in its last three, snagging victories against the Leopards (4-6, 0-2 Patriot League) on Sept. 20 and the Bulldogs (1-7) in a double-overtime thriller on Sept. 21. In both of these tilts, the Terriers broke a deadlock in the second half or later in order to seal the win.
Eimbcke remains a force in cage
Going into her senior season, goalkeeper Valentina Cerda Eimcke has had enormous expectations placed upon her, but has responded in a major way against opposing teams.
The 2013 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year led the conference with a 1.32 goals-against average and a .780 save percentage during her junior campaign. This season, the Santiago, Chile, native was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team and was picked as a captain by Starr and her fellow teammates.
Playing as the only senior starter for BU, Eimbcke has picked up right where she left off, posting a 1.88 goals-against average along with 37 saves and one shutout. Although her 4-4 record is well below the 13-7 mark she accomplished last year, Eimbcke has provided a source of stability for Starr and the Terriers as they compete with a small, underclassmen-heavy roster.
BU coach Sally Starr was not available for comment in this article.
Justin is a former Sports Editor for the Daily Free Press. In the past, he has covered the BU field hockey, men's basketball, women's hockey and women's lacrosse teams. Justin has interned at WEEI.com and serves as Editor-In-Chief of the Cleveland sports blog, Straight Down Euclid. Follow him on Twitter: @just_a_pal
