Just when they thought they had seen its fair share of Huskies this season after its Wednesday contest against No. 4 University of Connecticut, the No. 16 Boston University field hockey team will play its crosstown rivals, the No. 17 Northeastern Huskies, Sunday afternoon at Sweeney Field.
Before the Terriers can pick bones with their canine counterparts, however, they must first take on another breed in the form of conference rival the No. 15 University of Albany Great Danes at Newton Campus Field.
After losing to UConn 2-1 in a tight fight to the finish, the Terriers now hold an 8-7 record and are 2-1 in conference play. They are currently tied for second place in America East Conference standings, caught in a three-way tie with Albany and No. 13 University of Maine.
With four out of six teams nationally ranked in the top 20, the America East field hockey division constitutes one of the most competitive conferences for any BU team. The Terriers are currently sandwiched between Albany and Northeastern in the NCAA coaches poll going into this weekend.
“It makes the tournament very competitive,” head coach Sally Starr said. “There are a lot of hot teams present and we’re looking to be one of those hot teams.”
While their record may not be the best indication, the Terriers are well on their way to reaching that goal. Their last two losses came against top 10 teams, with the first coming Monday against No. 10 University of New Hampshire.
Senior fullback Kate Murphy scored the lone goal in the Terriers’ Wednesday contest, finding the backboard off a corner feed from junior forward Macey Gaumond and an additional assist from junior fullback Jacinda McLeod. While Murphy’s bullet to the net tied the game at 1-1, it was not enough to earn the Terriers a win as UConn scored early in the second half of the game to take the lead and the eventual win.
Sitting higher than BU in the national rankings, Albany has an overall record of 12-5 and recently completed their fourth shutout of the season with a 4-0 win over the University of Delaware last Sunday. The Great Danes countered the Blue Hens on goals from senior forward Christina Patrick, junior midfielder Nina Walters, sophomore midfielder Corrine McConville and graduate fullback Katharina Helling.
Patrick’s goal was her fifth game-winner this year. She leads the team in points with 13 goals, six assists and 31 shots.
McConville’s goal came on a penalty stroke, an area in which the Great Dane is three-for-four this season. She has 10 goals, four assists and 71 shots to her name. In goal, junior Kristi Troch has allowed 21 goals and saved 57.
Albany has accrued 50 goals, 168 penalty corners, 14 of which led to goals, and 297 shots, a number that more than doubles that of their opponents, who have only managed to earn 131 against the Great Danes.
“We have played a better strength of schools,” Starr said of her team’s strategy to combat Albany’s shot-streak. “The last two games, we’ve been doing a good job of tackling, transferring back on the ball, stepping up on the ball and not allowing the other teams to receive, and not turning the ball over, but passing it up the field. We’ve been outletting to the attackers’ part of the field.”
The last time the two teams met was in the America East Tournament semifinal, a contest which the Terriers lost 2-1. Junior midfielder Nicole van Oosterom scored the only goal to tie the game at one apiece just seven minutes in, but the Great Danes proved to be top dog when Patrick scored the game-winning goal five minutes into the second half.
“It’s a new year, new team, new focus and new energy,” Starr said about Saturday’s contest. “What happened last year is last year. It’s a different Albany team versus a different BU team.”
With a win, the Terriers will secure a spot in the America East Tournament and there is still a possibility for the team to host, depending on the outcome of the next few games in the season.
Sunday, the Terriers will finish off their weekend set against a team sitting directly below them in the national rankings. The 10-5 Northeastern Huskies sustained a double overtime contest last Friday with the No. 12 Boston College Eagles, finally winning 2-1 and increasing their win-streak to five games.
Senior forward Annie Clayman scored the first goal in the second half after a highly defensive first half. Junior forward Crystal Poland scored the game-winning shot in the second overtime, improving her total to 21 goals on the season, earning 1.4 goals per game, making her No. 2 in the nation. She also holds the number five spot in points per game with an average of three.
The Huskies have 37 goals, 260 shots and 113 penalty corners. Junior goalkeeper Lizzie Priest and the Northeastern defense have earned 100 saves against opponents, with 98 of them owned by Priest.
“Northeastern is a really good team with an outstanding attack,” Starr said. “Their win against BC was great for their program.”
In their last matchup, the Terriers fell to the Huskies 1-0 in their first loss of the season, as van Oosterom recorded four shots for the team and McLeod closed the game with two shots, one blocked and one wide. The Terriers now have 37 goals, 212 shots, 76 saves and 90 penalty corners this season.
It’s a big weekend in the dog pound for the Terriers and only one team will emerge as the alpha.
“We’ve had some disappointing losses,” Starr said. “But we’re feeling good about our quality of hockey and we’re ready to turn the corner.”
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