No. 19 field hockey follow No. 10 BC with tilt against Providence

In the No. 19 Boston University field hockey team’s final non-conference matchup before Patriot League play begins, the team will host neighboring Providence College at New Balance Field on Sunday.

The Terriers (3-1) came out on top, 2-1, in the teams’ annual tilt last year thanks to goals from sophomore midfielder/forward Kali Shumock and senior back Rachel Coll. Providence would answer back off the stick of senior Emma Mackie, but her effort was too little too late for the Friars (0-4).

BU’s contest with Providence comes on the heels of its foray with crosstown rival No. 10 Boston College Friday night. The Friars were shut out by the Eagles (3-1) in their season opener by a score of 3-0.

Offensive struggles have been the early theme for the Friars in 2015. They have tallied just three goals in four games and have been blanked twice already. After losing forwards Daniella Bernasconi, a 36-point scorer, and Steph Guglielmo, owner of four game-winners, to graduation following the 2014 season, Providence’s front line has yet to recover. However, BU coach Sally Starr is confident the Friars are on the verge of a breakout.

“The one thing I know about Providence and their coaching staff is that they’re always a really good attacking team,” Starr said. “They play fast, they play hard, they get numbers up in your attacking zone. Their personnel may have changed a bit, but that’s how they play. That’s the Providence style. … They’ll just reload with different strikers.”

Despite Starr’s prophecy, the Friars’ offense has seen its new leaders wilt under the weight of their burden. Mackie, along with fellow midfielders Megan Hamilton and Adrienne Houle, finished among the team’s top-six leading scorers last year. Hamilton paced the bunch with 36 points. However, none of these three attackers have found the back of the cage this season. Hamilton and Houle have yet to even register a point through eight starts.

The Friars are anchored at the back by senior Jackie Fusco and sophomore Abby Thornton, who knocked home one of their three goals this season. Between the pipes, graduate student Deidra Clymer commands the defense. Despite Providence’s winless start, Clymer has proven valuable, sporting a 1.92 goals against average and a .700 save percentage.

Pending its result against the Eagles, BU is coming in hot against Providence. The Terriers have moved up one spot in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, swept a two-game road set in Maine and earned an overtime victory all in the span of a week.

As foretold by Starr, the Terrier bench has been key throughout the season. It has outperformed its counterpart from a year ago, having already logged seven goals. Regular contributions from newcomers like sophomore midfielder/forward Grace Boston, who sat out due to injury last year, and freshman forward Kara Enoch have invigorated a veteran lineup.

Perhaps most encouraging for BU leading up to weekend is that it has yet to receive customary results from its top players. Junior forwards Amanda Cassera, last year’s Patriot League scoring leader with 32 points, and Taylor Blood, a seven-goal striker, have combined for six points through the team’s first four games. Once these two attackers start getting quality opportunities around the circle, the Terriers will perform even better than their current top-20 national ranking indicates.

Lost in the talk of untested junior goalkeeper Cammy Jensen, who replaced two-time Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Valentina Cerda Eimbcke, has been the strong play of the BU defense. Protecting Jensen, Coll and fellow senior backer Katie Bernatchez have run a tight ship in front of the cage. They have directed a group which has given up just 19 penalty corner opportunities and 39 shots, 22 fewer than their offense has provided. According to Starr, this leadership at the back is a crucial component in the Terriers’ success.

“Both Rachel Coll and Katie [Bernatchez] have a lot of experience,” Starr said. “That experience is definitely an advantage as we begin to prepare for the meat of our schedule. … We’re still learning from our mistakes right now. It’s that point in time in the season where we’re not doing things as well as we need to do it. Their experience will really help that learning curve exponentially. If we’re doing something incorrectly, it’s an easier fix just because of the experience that they have.”

The Terriers’ recent rise in the national rankings certainly raises the season’s stakes going forward, but Starr’s primary concern lies with shoring up her team’s weaknesses, rather than the pressure of recognition.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Starr said of her team’s No. 19 ranking. “It shows the respect that people have for our program. At this time in the season, what we need to be really focused on is one practice at a time, one game at a time, just getting better and controlling things that we can control: try to stay as healthy as we can, try and get as much rest as we can and try to make improvements at every opportunity we have.”