The Boston University field hockey team was winless in a pair of weekend matchups with the University of Massachusetts Lowell and No. 3 Boston College.
The Terriers (2-4) lost, 4-0, to the Riverhawks (3-1) on Sept. 10 at New Balance Field. Despite generating some offense at the beginning of the third quarter while down 2-0, BU was unable to capitalize on those opportunities and allowed two more goals during the fourth quarter.
“[Lowell] scored two tough goals on us that any other given day, those goals may not score,” head coach Sally Starr said Sunday. “For a young team, we continue to compete hard to the very end. Just a lot of growing pains in that game.”
The Terriers found themselves in a similar situation Sunday afternoon against the Eagles (6-0) and were down 2-0 at the end of the first quarter. However, a shot from freshman forward Payton Anderson was tipped in by junior midfielder Mikayla Crowley for her first goal since her freshman year. In the third quarter, Anderson scored off her own rebound to tie the game.
Despite the Terriers’ effort, BC would later score the winning goal late in the third quarter. The Terriers found themselves unable to score during the rest of the game, even though they had a few opportunities.
“We competed hard, took advantage of the opportunities that we had and it easily could have been a 3-3 game at one point with a breakaway that we had late in the fourth quarter,” Starr said. “So, just happy that [junior goalkeeper] Caroline [Kelly] could keep us in the game, and we could find a way to continue to compete well against [the Eagles].”
Anderson recoups, Kelly impresses
Anderson was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week Monday, the second time she has received the honor in three weeks. In the first three matchups of the season, Anderson scored two goals and had one assist before losing some steam against the University of Iowa and Lowell.
Anderson has since rebounded, particularly in her performance against BC. She now has a team-leading eight points, including three goals, on the season.
“Payton is just a tremendous competitor and athlete, and absolutely doing a great job,” Starr said. “I think she’s somebody that’s just going to keep getting better and better as the season continues.”
On the other end of the field, Kelly made a career-high 16 saves against BC Sunday. Kelly now boasts just eight goals allowed on 28 saves for the season so far.
“Caroline was absolutely outstanding [against BC],” Starr said. “She’s capable of keeping us in games against teams like Boston College who are definitely right now, at this point in time, far superior to us in experience.”
Patriot League competition nears
BU looks to move forward after three straight losses. The Terriers will go on the road Friday, making their first stop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to face Patriot League opponent Lehigh University (3-2) before heading to Princeton University (0-3) on Sunday.
“We’ve grown a lot through the six games that we’ve played through the last three weekends and we’ve grown a lot as a team and improved a ton, and so we’re really excited to start conference play,” Starr said.
Starr said the team will continue growing in preparation for its upcoming opponents.
“We’re a young team. We’re getting better, and we’re still trying to find our way, trying to find our footing and trying to find positionally where’s the best spot for some people,” Starr said.
