The No. 14 Boston University field hockey team returns home this weekend following a pair of road contests. The Terriers (8-4, 2-1 Patriot League) face Lehigh University on Saturday afternoon and travel to Chestnut Hill to face rival No. 13 Boston College for a Sunday matinee.
The Mountain Hawks (5-8, 2-2 Patriot League) ride a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s tilt. In their past game on Oct. 9, Lehigh defeated Towson University 5-0. Before that, they shut out Colgate University 6-0, which tied the program record for most goals against a Patriot League opponent.
Senior Marissa Glatt scored seven points over the course of two victories last weekend to earn Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors. Forward Teresa Carotenuto leads the Mountain Hawks with six goals on the campaign and is also first on the team with 14 points. Glatt has 13, making her and Carotenuto the only two Lehigh players to score in double figures thus far.
BU junior fullback/midfielder Allie Renzi was recently named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for her impact in a 2-1 victory over Bucknell University this past Saturday. Renzi tallied a goal with 15 minutes left in the game to make it 2-0 and put the game out of reach. The victory snapped the Terriers’ four-game losing streak and marked their first win since ousting Colgate (1-12, o-4 Patriot League) 9-0 on Sept. 17.
“We’re looking for a continuation of what we got back to doing in the Bucknell game, which was focusing primarily on our fundamentals, doing things well that we could control,” BU head coach Sally Starr said. “Focusing less on the outcome, playing at a high work rate, competing hard and playing with intelligence.”
The Terriers, in contrast to Lehigh, have five players with over 10 points; Renzi, senior forward Amanda Cassera, senior forward Taylor Blood, senior midfielder Hester van der Laan and sophomore forward Ally Hammel have all tallied over 11 points. Cassera leads the way with 14 points on six goals and two assists.
Starr said she hopes to continue playing with what she calls a high “PPR,” or a Positive Play Ratio.
Sunday’s matchup against the Eagles (6-6) features two of the finest field hockey programs in the Northeast.
BC has three victories over ranked opponents this season, which has propelled them to a top-20 ranking despite a .500 record. BC toppled No. 15 Stanford University first, and then defeated No. 3 University of North Carolina before most recently besting No. 7 University of Louisville.
With eight goals apiece, sophomore Lucy Lytle and senior Brittany Sheenan pace the Eagle attack. Forward Eryn McCoy has also scored in double figures, as she has tallied five goals and four assists on the year.
The Terriers have just five remaining regular season games in 2016, three of which come on home turf at New Balance Field. In Boston, the Terriers have a 5-2 record, as opposed to a 2-2 road mark and 1-0 record on neutral turf.
Starr spoke of a season-long struggle with ball movement, and noted that there has been great improvement. The games against Lehigh and BC will be imperative in preparation for the upcoming postseason, and a consistent effort in this area will help propel the Terriers to victories this weekend and beyond.
“We started forcing the play a little too much and when you force the play you create unforced turnovers,” Starr said. “One thing we did really well in the Bucknell game was taking what they were giving us, and really taking it at pace. We were making good decisions on the ball, keeping possession.”
That is not a picture of Allie Renzi….. Pretty sure that’s Sofie Laurito….