The No. 15 Boston University field hockey team’s season came to an end Saturday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as the Terriers lost 4-2 to No. 1 University of North Carolina.
The matchup pitted two of the most celebrated coaches in Division I history against each other, as Tar Heels (20-2) coach Karen Shelton got the upper hand on the Terriers’ (15-7, 6-0 Patriot League) Sally Starr.
The contest presented an uphill battle for BU as North Carolina took an early lead and never looked back. The Tar Heels jumped all over BU from the start, notching two goals from senior Nina Notman to gain a 2-0 halftime lead.
Unfortunately for the Terriers, North Carolina came out strong again in the second half as freshman Ashley Hoffman got in on the action, scoring two goals of her own, increasing the Tar Heel lead to 4-0 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Terriers got on the board in the 66th minute when junior forward Amanda Cassera tallied her seventh score of the season on an assist from senior back Rachel Feig. Senior midfielder Sofi Laurito scored a little over one minute later, making the final score 4-2 in favor of the Tar Heels.
BU coach Sally Starr felt her team had opportunities but didn’t capitalize.
“We played an outstanding team, but we had our opportunities,” Starr said. “ … We executed well and we got the looks that we wanted, we just didn’t score. In the first half, we were scrambling and we were better in the second half which resulted in two scores later in the game.”
It was fitting that Laurito scored the final goal of the season for the Terriers as she led BU in points and goals this season. She finishes her collegiate career tied for fourth all-time on the BU leaderboard in goals scored with 32.
Starr noted her pride in Laurito and all of her seniors after the game.
“These were a great group of seniors,” Starr said. “[Laurito] was amazing all year and had an outstanding career at BU.”
The Terriers played their toughest opponent of the season Saturday and Starr believes her team competed as well as they could have.
“I think this team [North Carolina] can win the national championship,” Starr said. “They have two players on the national team, a U.S. Olympian and two German national players. They definitely made us work and play a lot of defense.”
Despite the loss, Starr lauded her team’s effort.
“I thought the last 10 minutes epitomizes what this team is about,” Starr said. “The team didn’t want the season to end and did everything they could to not have that happen.
“Our last four games were tough,” she added, “but I thought we played championship hockey and for us to play with that type of emotion and energy the last ten minutes really shows what kind of team this is. I’m extremely proud.”
