The Boston University field hockey team defeated the University of Maine in a high scoring 5-2 showdown at Newton Campus Field in Newton, Massachusetts.
The Terriers (8-7, 4-1 Patriot League) were led by sophomore defender Payton Anderson, who recorded her first hat trick of her career. Junior forward Tess Csejka added two more goals to the winning effort.
On the other side of the field, senior goalkeeper Caroline Kelly tied a season-high 12 saves.
“[Kelly] kept us in the game and she was a big reason why we won tonight,” head coach Sally Starr said. “They put a lot of pressure on us and a lot of pressure on her, and she made some outstanding saves.”
Kelly’s saves and Anderson’s scoring helped the Terriers dominate and shut out the No. 23 Black Bears (11-4) in the first half. Two of Anderson’s goals came in the first half –– both off penalty corners. Csejka carried the strong first half momentum into the second half with two goals of her own, giving the Terriers a 4-0 lead deep into the third quarter.
Starr credits the team’s ability to limit Maine’s penalty corner opportunities as a driving factor in the Terriers’ first half dominance.
“Our ability to defend around that arc was critical — really not letting them into the circle and not giving them those penalty corner opportunities,” Starr said.
However, the momentum started to shift in favor of the Black Bears at the end of the third quarter when fifth year forward Chloe Walton found the back of the net. Junior defender Poppy Lambert then cut the Terriers lead down to two points in the fourth quarter.
The Terriers’ defense held strong after giving up two goals.
“I really felt like we got back to making better decisions on ball, better decisions with our possessions,” Starr said.
Then, in the 59th minute, Anderson capitalized on the Terriers’ strong defense and scored her third goal of the game to seal the victory. This victory ended a 10-game winning streak by Maine, the second longest winning streak in program history and the second-longest in the country this season.
Heading into the game, the Terriers’ were coming off a tough 2-0 loss to Lafayette College. However, Starr said the film session following that game was productive and helped the team bounce back to get the win.
“The gift that we got from that loss was our response to really work hard and get better,” Starr said. “We went from being just a good team to a very good team tonight.”
The Terriers will face another challenge on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Newton when they face off against the No. 21 Boston College Eagles.
