The Boston University field hockey team heads to Ann Arbor, Mich., this weekend looking to break out of a recent slump that has seen the Terriers (3-4, 0-0 America East) drop four of their last five games.
While the Terriers may not have the most impressive record, they have shown that they are capable of competing with the top teams in the nation, with heartbreaking 1-0 defeats at the hands of top-ranked University of Maryland and No. 17 Boston College.
BU faces two more tough games this weekend. The first comes on Saturday, Sept. 28 against the University of Michigan, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, and the second is on Sunday when the Terriers square off against Ball State University. In the most recent polls, Ball State and BU received the same amount of votes, and are looking to springboard into the top 20 with solid performances this weekend.
Junior forward April Fronzoni and senior defender Stephanie Johnson led the way for reigning national champions Michigan (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten); the duo has combined for 17 goals in just eight games. The Wolverines have outscored their opponents, 30-7, so far this year.
Ball State (4-1, 0-0 Mid-American) come into the weekend riding a three game win streak. The Cardinals’ only loss this year came at the hands of Michigan, when they lost, 5-1, back on Sept. 8.
The Terriers come into this weekend having scored only four goals in their last five games and failing to score in three of those contests. Michigan and Ball State aren’t going to make it any easier for the BU offense; on the season the teams are allowing 0.85 and 1.22 goals per game, respectively. In effort to generate more offense BU coach Sally Starr is trying a new system this weekend.
Starr is asking some players to step up and assume more offensive-minded roles. One of those players is junior forward Genna Clough, who is being asked to attack more from her position on the right side.
Clough points out that while the Terriers have been strong defensively this year, they need to focus more on offense if they are going to beat Michigan or Ball State.
“Michigan is extremely tough; they have a great forward line,” Clough said.
Sacrificing defense for offense could prove to be dangerous against a high-scoring team like Michigan, and could mean senior goalkeeper Susan Harrington is in for a busy day. Harrington, who has the ability to keep the Terriers in the game against anyone, will be counted on by her teammates to continue her excellent play and try to keep the Wolverines off the scoreboard.
“We play extremely well against really good teams,” Clough said.
Playing to the level of their competition is something that has hurt the Terriers against weaker opponents this season. This weekend, however, it should bring out the best in the team. A strong showing this weekend could be just what the team needs get them going in the right direction and to propel them through the rest of the season and into the NCAA tournament, where the experience gained by playing such a tough schedule could potentially pay big dividends for the Terriers.
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