After winning its second straight Patriot League Championship last season, the No. 13 Boston University field hockey team is poised for another winning season in 2016, having already won its first four contests.
In addition to their league title in 2015, the Terriers (4-0) also went undefeated in the Patriot League and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in program history.
BU reached 15 wins for the first time since 2007, and the team did not lose consecutive games, which was made possible by the strong senior class of Sofi Laurito, Rachel Coll, Katie Bernatchez and Rachel Feig. In the semifinals against Bucknell University, Laurito scored a hat trick — including the game winner in double overtime — to lead the Terriers to the Patriot League Championship.
“I think a senior class is always key to a team’s success,” said BU head coach Sally Starr. “There’s no exception last year. We had four outstanding young women who were really committed to help this team be the best that we could be. We had two collegiate All-Americans in Sofi and Rachel Coll. Both of them were outstanding hockey players. Katie Bernatchez and Rachel Feig weren’t All-Americans on paper, but they were very important to our success on the field and off the field.”
The loss of last year’s seniors will be tough for the Terriers to bear, especially with the high expectations set for the team year in and year out. However, new senior captains, forward Amanda Cassera, midfielder Hester van der Laan and midfielder Ellie Landsman, should help lead the program to another successful campaign.
Senior forward and midfielder Bea Baumberger Altirriba and senior forward Taylor Blood will also play important roles, especially after such strong performances last year. Baumberger Altirriba looks to surpass her tally of 24 points from last season, which was good for second on the team.
“What I love about this year’s senior class is that there’s eight of them and they’re all just really focused and committed and really want this to be a special year,” Starr said. “[The seniors] want to be a team that leaves a legacy of going further than past teams have, and really compete successfully for a conference championship and then compete successfully in the NCAA Tournament.”
These seniors have already impacted the Terriers through their first four contests, leading the team to victories over No. 17 Northwestern University and the University of New Hampshire in the 2016 Wildcat Classic, and triumphs over Northeastern University and Miami University.
“Our mantra is always get better every practice, and get better every game,” Starr said. “Just watching film with them and getting ready for this weekend, there’s a lot of things that we’re really doing well and we’re improving, but there’s still areas in the game that we need to keep working hard at to have the success we want to have at the end of year.”
Cassera leads the team with nine points thus far, followed by a two-way tie for second with Blood and junior fullback and midfielder Allie Renzi each accounting for five.
Senior goalkeeper Cammy Jensen has started all four games thus far, and currently boasts a stellar 1.47 goals against average.
The holes left by last year’s senior class are indisputable, but this year’s upperclassmen have already shown great promise.
“I think this is a really special team,” Starr said. “It’s talented, it has great leadership, it has great team chemistry. They’re a team that challenges each other in the weight room, on the hockey field, and I think we can have a very special team with them.”
Ranya currently covers field hockey and women’s hockey for the Daily Free Press. As a Biology major at BU, she spends much of her time buried in her Chemistry textbook with the occasional trip to the piano practice room to rehearse her favorite piece, Debussy’s "Claire de Lune." She is an avid ice hockey fan and a proud supporter of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
