Senior class propelling No. 13 field hockey to new heights

The No. 13 Boston University field hockey is off to its best start in program history, thanks in large part to its eight-person senior class. The Terriers (6-0) are coming off a weekend sweep over the No. 20 University of Maine and the University of California, Davis where they outscored their opponents seven to one.

On Friday afternoon, BU took down the Black Bears (5-1) by a score of 2-1. Senior captain and midfielder Hester van der Laan netted her first goal of the 2016 campaign after a yellow card was called on Maine.

BU head coach Sally Starr noted that her team wouldn’t be off to this record-setting start if it weren’t for its senior leadership.

“This whole senior class right now, we definitely graduated a lot, but our senior class this year is really talented and they’ve worked hard,” Starr said. “I really feel they have the capabilities of doing something really special this year.”

Van der Laan, who hails from Amsterdam, is a two-time All-Patriot League First Team selection and was named to the Second Team as a freshman in 2013.

It is looking to be a special season for the Terriers, who graduated four seniors last year, among them Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Sofi Laurito. Despite losing the production of Laurito, who scored 73 points throughout her BU career, this year’s seniors are more than holding their own.

Among them are senior forwards Amanda Cassera and Taylor Blood, who rank among the top scorers in the Patriot League. Cassera ranks third in the conference in points with 10. Blood, a native of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, ranks second in shots, and fifth in goals.

“I think a big part of that is Hester, [senior midfielder] Ellie Landsman, Amanda Cassera and Taylor Blood, I could just go right down all the seniors,” Starr said. “They’ve worked hard last spring, this summer to be the best that they could be and are providing great leadership for us.”

An Offensive Powerhouse

BU finished out the weekend sweep by defeating UC Davis (1-5) by a score of 5-0 on Sunday afternoon. The Terriers had five different goal scorers in what was the best offensive output of the year to date.

Van der Laan, Blood, senior forward Sara Martineau, sophomore midfielder/fullback Allie Doggett and junior forward Grace Boston recorded goals for the Terriers, all of which were unassisted.

The 5-0 victory was just the first time BU won by more than a single goal, proving that it capitalized on its offensive chances.

The Terriers are averaging an impressive 2.83 goals per contest thus far, while holding opponents to 1.17. If this weekend’s contests are any indication, this offensive onslaught should continue in the coming weeks.

Penalty Corner Troubles

The Terriers have also been without senior fullback/midfielder Bea Baumberger Altirriba due to a knee injury, and her absence has been most noticeable in the penalty corner category.

“[Bea] has been a focal part of our [attack penalty corners] for three years, so we are still struggling to get our rhythm back now that we don’t have her in that unit,” Starr said.

Baumberger Altirriba led the Patriot League in total assists in 2015, and since her injury, BU has struggled on attack penalty corners. The team has only converted one of eight attack penalty corners against Maine and one of 10 against UC Davis.

Looking ahead toward Patriot League play, the Terriers are the lone undefeated team in the conference. That being said, Starr is not focused on the standings, just their first league game against Colgate University on Saturday.

“One game at a time,” Starr said. “It’s also been great to be home for three weekends in a row. We love playing here at New Balance Field and I think the girls are taking good advantage of that as well.”