The Boston University field hockey team fell behind less than a minute into a crucial home conference match against the preseason conference favorite University of New Hampshire. Most young squads with an overall losing record would have buckled under the pressure and let the game slip away.
But the Terriers are not most teams, engineering a gutsy come-from-behind victory behind a surging attack that capitalized on scoring opportunities.
‘Being a young team, today required courage and I’m proud of our resiliency,’ BU coach Sally Starr said.’ ‘UNH was all over us early. I thought, ‘This could be a long game,’ but I’m very proud of them.’
The game opened with UNH senior and conference points leader Meg Shea’s steal and assist on sophomore Hayley Rausch’s goal 46 seconds in the game. BU tried to respond with pressure on the goal, but such attempts were stymied by sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Nagengast, who registered six saves in the first half.
But the Terriers kept up the attack in the second half, crowding in front of the cage until sophomore Kali Cardoza notched the equalizer and her first tally of the year in the 52nd minute on redshirt freshman Rachael White’s assist.
The comeback was completed 10 minutes later following a corner when reigning America East Rookie of the Week Nicole van Oosterom redirected a rebound into the cage for her team-leading sixth goal of the year. Five of BU’s eight corners came in the second stanza and were key to the Terriers’ win.
‘We’ve been working on our corners,’ Starr said. ‘We had an outstanding practice and it’s becoming an area of strength and confidence for us. It’s looking very dangerous.’
Of course, role models are necessary for developing young talent and for this club in particular, one doesn’t need to look further than junior Allie Dolce. Setting the example in the midfield, backfield or wherever Starr plays her, Dolce paces the team in assists (7) and points (17) and provides the underclassmen with leadership and a high standard of play.
‘Allie Dolce was key for us in the midfield,’ Starr said. ‘We had to move her around and she really helped us after we were getting sliced in the midfield. She’s a real competitor and puts in a lot of minutes and a lot of energy. She was effective even when fatigued.’
The symbiotic relationship between young and old is also clear on the stat sheet. In total, freshman and sophomores have accounted for 19 of BU’s 33 goals, more than half of the team’s offensive effort. Yet 15 of the Terrier’s 19 assists have come from juniors and seniors, good for nearly 80 percent. The theme of seniors setting up freshman has led to offensive success and accelerated maturity right in the thick of conference play.
With the underclassmen growing up quickly, the Terriers are set to begin a new chapter in BU field hockey history, starting this year with a now-guaranteed spot in the America East Tournament and perhaps a run in the NCAA Tournament ‘-‘- anything is possible if the Terriers continue to play beyond their years.
‘They’re not freshmen anymore,’ Starr said. ‘They’ve played fifteen games now. They’re not freshman anymore. You can tell by the way they play.’
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
