The Boston University field hockey team’s longest winning streak of the season came to an end Wednesday with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to the No. 7 University of Connecticut.
The Terriers got off to a strong start and were rewarded with an early corner goal by freshman Jacinda McLeod, her sixth of the season. But despite a career-high, eight save performance by junior goalkeeper Amanda Smith, they were unable to outlast the Huskies, who improved their record to an impressive 15-2 as the Terriers dropped to 7-9.
The Huskies boast the number-one scorer in the nation, senior Loren Sherer, a transfer student and native of Essex, England who has 62 points and 24 goals on the season. Sherer scored the Huskies’ first goal on Wednesday on a first-half corner to tie the game about seven minutes after McLeod’s tally, and the Huskies took a 2-1 lead into the second half.
BU junior midfielder Maryette Stuart was awarded a penalty stroke early in the second half, but senior UConn goaltender Andrea Mainiero made the stop to preserve her team’s lead on her way to a twelve-save performance. UConn redshirt freshman Allison Angulo scored the insurance goal at 54:47, redirecting a shot by Sherer into the net on a corner.
As usual, the Terriers outshot their opponent, 19-13. Senior forward Nikki Lloyd, always a strong offensive presence, registered seven of those shots. However, the Terriers allowed the Huskies nine corner opportunities, which may have been the primary factor in their loss ‘-‘- all three of UConn’s goals were scored on corners. Irresponsible play and individual defensive lapses in front of the net have caused problems for the Terriers against tough opponents this year, and have been the cause of many of their losses to ranked teams who can, and do, capitalize well on corners.
However, the Terriers’ defense has improved since the beginning of the season, and they once again played a mostly even game with one of the best teams in the nation. The Huskies’ only losses this season have come against teams ranked in the national top 10 at the time, and they seem likely to make the NCAA Tournament this year. Holding them to only three goals ‘-‘- a feat only six of UConn’s other 16 opponents have been able to achieve this year, and no team has held them to fewer than two ‘-‘- is something the Terriers can be proud of.
At this point in the season, as BU coach Sally Starr has said throughout this month, conference games should be BU’s main focus. While a win against UConn would have been notable, and a four-game winning streak would have been great to maintain, Saturday’s game against the University at Albany is ultimately more important. Albany (11-3 overall), like BU, has maintained a 3-0 conference record and is currently tied with the Terriers for first place, so the two teams could essentially be competing this weekend for the season championship and the top seed in the America East tournament.
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