Field hockey vs. UConn

The No. 11 Boston University field hockey team will take a break from the scheduling norm &- and midterms &- as it takes on No. 5 University of Connecticut Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Jack Barry Field in its third-to-last game of the regular season. The Terriers are looking to regain some of the momentum lost after dropping a 3-2 contest to University of New Hampshire over the weekend.

In a season that has had the Terriers (11-4) face the likes of No. 9 Michigan State University, No. 13 Boston College and No. 17 Duke University, UConn (12-3) could very well be the toughest opponent yet. The Huskies have the highest winning percentage of any team in the Big East conference and have won four of its last five games, including a 4-2 upset over No. 4 Princeton University on Sunday.

“They are an excellent team,” said associate head coach Tracey Paul. “They are talented athletes, and we’re going to have to be at our best.”

UConn is led offensively by junior midfielder/forwards Cara Silverman, who enters the game with 12 goals and 26 points on the season, and Ali Blankmeyer, who has 10 goals and 21 points.

Freshman goalkeeper Sarah Mansfield holds down the fort for the Huskies on the defensive end and boasts a .778 save percentage while allowing an average of just 0.96 goals per game. Mansfield has posted five shutouts so far in her rookie campaign, most recently against Northeastern University last Wednesday.

Among those in the audience for UConn’s 4-0 win against Northeastern? None other than the Terriers themselves. The team made the short drive to Cambridge to scout the Huskies in preparation for today’s game.

As for BU, the Terriers are keeping the same mentality it has all season as it tries to rebound from its first conference loss.

“We’re just focusing on being the team that we can be, playing the type of hockey that we are capable of playing and being our best,” Paul said.

But the hockey that BU is “capable of playing” against UConn might be different than what the team is used to. The Terriers will be without senior goalkeeper Amanda Smith, who suffered a concussion last Saturday while playing against the University of New Hampshire. Sophomore Julie Collins will start in goal for the Terriers, according to Paul.

In limited playing time, Collins has 10 saves and a .714 save percentage, which is slightly better than Smith’s .647, though Collins’ is from a smaller sample size.

BU will likely benefit from junior midfielder Giovanna Monaco and sophomore fullback Rachael White getting back into the swing of things. Both players returned from injuries Saturday against UNH and had some cobwebs to shake off.

“They were back in, but of course it was a tough transition because they hadn’t played for a couple weeks,” Paul said.

The date of this game&-the only weekday game of the regular season for the Terriers&-unfortunately coincides with midterms for many players, and the coaches acknowledge that that is an important factor.

“The timing isn’t, of course, the best, but you have to make due with what you have,” Paul said. “It is important right now that the team focuses on not just athletics, but also academics. It’s a difficult time to be a student at BU, so you can imagine what it’s like to be a student-athlete at BU.”

The Terriers do have timing on their side in some ways, though. The start time of the game is scheduled for 3 p.m., which is the same time the team begins practice every Wednesday.

“Physiologically, it’s what [the players] are used to,” Paul said.

Despite UConn’s strength’s on both sides of the ball, the Terriers again have high hopes entering the game.

“Playing against UConn is always exciting,” Paul said. “They play a well-structured game, and we perform well against teams like them, with their style. I’m looking forward to it. It should be a very fast and a very high-scoring game.”