The No. 20 Boston University field hockey team will welcome crosstown rivals Northeastern University to New Balance Field Friday night as the team looks to continue its recent success.
BU (4-3, 1-0 Patriot League) is in the midst of a two-game winning streak. However, the latter of those wins, a 3-2 overtime victory over Yale University on Sept. 21, featured somewhat shaky play from BU. After falling behind 2-1 in the second period, the Terriers had to rely on two late goals to push the game into overtime. Junior backer Rachel Coll scored the game-winner in the extra period. The win helped the Terriers enter the National Field Hockey Coaches Association rankings for the first time all season.
After losing its opening two games to top-20 ranked opponents in the University of Maryland and Temple University, the Huskies (6-2) caught fire and have won six straight contests. Most recently on Sept. 24, Northeastern handed Harvard University its first loss of the season in a 1-0 victory. The Huskies held the Crimson (5-1) to just six shots during 70 minutes of play.
“We are anticipating a hard fought game,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “They have dangerous strikers, good defense, good goal tending … They are a very well coached team.”
Northeastern’s defense has held strong throughout the 2014 campaign. In road matchups, the Huskies have only let up one goal thus far. This can largely be attributed to the strong play of goalkeeper Becky Garner. Garner boasts a 0.71 save percentage, 34 saves, three shutouts and has allowed just 14 goals.
In order to get past the stout Northeastern defense, BU will have to rely on its strong offensive front. Sophomore forward Amanda Cassera has shown her offensive prowess, scoring once in each of the Terriers’ back-to-back wins. In addition to Cassera, the Terriers will be looking for junior midfielder/forward Sofi Laurito and sophomore midfielder Hester van der Laan — who are second and third on the team in points — to step up.
“[Garner is] great at goalkeeping,” Starr said. “But we feel that we have the strikers who can score.”
BU also boasts a significant advantage in the fact that it is playing at New Balance Field, where the Terriers have compiled a record of 2-1.
“Our girls love playing at home,” Starr said. “BU gave us a great facility that we enjoy playing on.”
For Starr, having the opportunity to face off against a crosstown foe also brings an added level of importance to Friday’s match.
“To us, it’s an important regional game,” Starr said. “I would say it’s very close to a BC game in terms of rivalry. We want the bragging rights. This game has been our focus the entire week of practice.”
Alexander mainly covers field hockey for the Daily Free Press. On his days off, he catches up on playing basketball and soccer and cheers on the New York Giants, Knicks, and Yankees. He previously interned at the office of U.S. Senator Edward Markey.
