The No. 17 Boston University field hockey team blew past both American University and Northeastern University in this past weekend’s series.
The Terriers’ (8-3, 3-0 Patriot League) 5-3 victory over American (7-4, 2-1 Patriot League) was a time for junior midfielder Bea Baumberger Altirriba to demonstrate her dominant skill amid tough conditions and aggressive play. With two goals and an assist, Altirriba found herself all over the field as the Terriers dominated the Eagles.
Before play even began, a ceremony honored the 30th anniversary of the 1985 Terriers squad, which reached the national semifinals in their first ever NCAA appearance. A large group of alumni turned out for the event to celebrate one of the most successful teams in program history.
The Saturday afternoon contest was characterized by strong penalty corner execution from the Terriers, with three of their goals resulting from set pieces. Senior back Rachel Coll got the scoring underway when she sent a decisive shot off a penalty corner which found the back of the cage.
The Eagles responded with two goals of their own to give themselves a 2-1 advantage. But Altirriba tallied her first score of the night just before the half to send to the teams to the locker rooms in a deadlock.
The Terriers scored three of their five goals after the half, taking control of play. Junior forward Amanda Cassera and senior midfielder/forward Sofi Laurito both cracked the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Altirriba finished the Eagles off in the 68th minute.
“One of the things we wanted to do was compete for 70 minutes,” BU coach Sally Starr said. “This will be a building block for us and we’ll just keep getting better and better. They’re a good team, I won’t be surprised if we see them again in the tournament, and I just really love how we battled today.”
Starr also praised the implementation of new tactics that resulted in success for the Terriers, classifying her team’s first corner as “textbook.”
The Terriers took the field again Sunday in a non-league contest against Northeastern (3-9) in Dedham and emerged with a win once again. The game ended in thrilling fashion with an overtime tip-in goal by Coll making the difference in a 3-2 BU victory.
Despite the Terriers’ hard-fought goals to open the second half scored by junior forward Taylor Blood and Laurito, the Huskies answered the call with a couple goals of their own to even the game at two midway through the second half. Though the penalty corner opportunities were there for the Terriers, they did not take advantage despite their success in Saturday’s match.
As the game progressed into overtime, freshman forward Ally Hammel took advantage of a scoring chance near the goal. While her shot looked as if it were going slightly wide, Coll was immediately there, tipping it into the goal to end an intense match.
“It was really hard-fought, a tough hockey match today,” Starr said. “Northeastern is a really really good team. Their record is not indicative of how talented they are and how well they play and how hard they play.”
Starr also commented on the rigorous schedule her team faced, with back-to-back games this weekend.
“It’s difficult to go back-to-back, physically and emotionally, and I was really proud of the resiliency we had today,” Starr said. “It really was a great effort on [Coll’s] part, great instincts on her part, and just an exciting goal to be scored by a senior captain.”
