The Boston University field hockey team had a successful season following its move from the America East Conference to the Patriot League. The Terriers finished second in the conference this season after losing in the Patriot League Championship Game to American University.
Ysi Schieb helped lead the Terriers to second place finish in Patriot League
Coming off a year in which they were banned from America East Tournament play, the Terriers (13-7, 5-1 Patriot League) began the season with chips on their shoulders. The Terriers opened the year strong with a 5-1 victory over Ohio University on the newly constructed New Balance Field. Freshman forward Amanda Cassera started off her collegiate career with a hat-trick performance in the win.
After opening the season with two home victories, the Terriers went to the road and faced some strong opponents in a tough stretch of their schedule. BU traveled to Evanston, Ill., to face then-No. 11 Northwestern University for its first road game. Inexperience proved too much to overcome, as the Terriers dropped the contest 4-1.
Less than a week later, BU played Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouse and crosstown rival Boston College. Again, the Terriers were overmatched and lost a tight defensive battle, 1-0, despite a valiant effort from junior goalkeeper Valentina Cerda Eimbcke, who registered nine saves.
“With a young team you want to be challenged,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “You figure out at that point in time what’s working and what needs work. It’s those types of games that really help you to clearly look yourself in the mirror and get better. Early in the season, you want to get better and we challenged ourselves to improve from those opportunities.”
Just two short days later, BU avenged the two defeats with a hard-fought 2-1 overtime victory against Providence College. The Terriers came back to score two unanswered goals after being down for the entire first half. The victory pushed BU’s record to 4-2 and began a streak in which the team won four out of five games.
“That was huge,” Starr said of the win against Providence. “I think that really showed the competitive heart that this team had, the belief they had in themselves and the pride that they had. And that we were down in overtime, I think it was a great competitive game for us and a real quality win.”
At the midway point of the season, the Terriers were 7-3 overall and held the third spot in the Patriot League standings with a 2-1 Patriot League record.
After a short spell of not being able to win more than one game in a row, BU won four of its final five regular season games to bring its record to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in conference, earning the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament.
In those final regular season games, Eimbcke, who was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year, posted three of her five regular-season shutouts.
“She just really came into her own this year,” Starr said about her goalie. “It was her junior season. She really fought through injuries her sophomore year, and I was really happy to see her come up big in big games for us. It’s nice to know that we have her for one more year. She also is an outstanding mentor for our young goalies.”
In the first part of the season, the Terrier offense was inconsistent. As the season progressed, BU found its offensive rhythm and started making noise on the scoreboard.
Players like Cassera and sophomore midfielder Sofi Laurito, who led the team in goals and points with eight and 16, respectively, along with freshman midfielder Hester van der Laan, who had 13 points on four goals and five assists, were offensive leaders and will be the core of BU’s offense for seasons to come.
The Terriers moved to the postseason and battled Bucknell University in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament, winning by a score of 1-0 thanks to yet another shutout performance by Eimbcke and a goal by senior backer Ysi Schieb.
Unfortunately, BU’s season came to an ended the next day. BU fell to American in the championship match, 3-0, ending its hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
While the season ended on a sour note, the future looks promising for the Terriers, as the graduating seniors provided leadership and valuable lessons and off the field for the underclassmen.
“I can’t speak highly enough about this senior class and the legacy that they’re leaving and the way that they helped to mold and build this young team we had,” Starr said. “They were outstanding on the field, off the field and really taught this young group what it means to be a Boston University field hockey player, to take pride in it, to work hard and to be the best that they can be and be the best teammate they can be.
“It’s not all about being a really good hockey player, but being respectful in the locker room as well. This is a senior class that did that extremely well, and I know that this is a young team that will remember this class for many years to come.”
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