Final campaign a reflective time for field hockey co-captain Allie Doggett

By: Greg Levinsky

BOSTON – Evidenced by her unanimous selection to last fall’s All-Patriot League Field Hockey First Team, Allie Doggett is universally respected by the entirety of the Boston University program as well as coaches around the conference.

Last firsts are this year’s theme for Doggett. The senior co-captain noted her last first day of classes, her last first opening game, and now her last first conference game as the 21st-ranked Terriers (4-2) are set to face rival American (3-3) in the nation’s capital this Saturday afternoon, weather permitting.

“It’s a last time for everything now,” Doggett said. “It’s bittersweet.”

Watching the five-foot-eight Doggett weave through defenses from end-to-end is a common occurrence. Splitting double-teams is her forte, a truly masterful effort every time. Head coach Sally Starr mentioned the distinct combination of skill and grace her midfielder possesses.

According to Starr, Doggett’s performance in the Terriers most recent game was a microcosm of her unprecedented speed and skill. In the Terriers’ 4-3 overtime victory over then-10th-ranked Northwestern University (4-3), Doggett “took over.”

“She was by far the best player on the field,” Starr said. “If she can play like that day in and day out for us, she’ll have a great senior year, and we’re going to have a lot of success as a program because she’s so difficult to stop.”

A native of nearby Watertown, Massachusettes, Doggett and fellow co-captain Ally Hammel lead a six-woman senior class. Doggett, though, said the entirety of the upper class deserves credit for leadership of a youth-heavy squad.

“It’s not just the captains,” Doggett said. “Our senior class as a whole provides leadership.”

And Starr agrees that leadership stems from multiple sources.

“Leadership doesn’t just come from one or two people,” Starr said. “Everybody on this team has opportunities to step up and be a leader in different ways.”

Doggett said she observed her previous captains and relished their guidance. She hopes to provide the same guidance for the Terriers’ 13 underclassmen.

“I’ve always looked up to captains, their leadership and the role they play on the team,” Doggett said. “I kinda thought that was what I wanted to do and what I want to be like.

“I try to emulate what they were doing and do it in my own way.”

As a sophomore, she had a career-high three goals and added two assists. Moving to her junior year last fall, Doggett earned NFHCA All-Northeast Region Second Team honors after anchoring the midfield and posting a pair of assists as the Terriers advanced to the NCAA tournament. Both Doggett and Hammel were selected to the U.S. National Development Squad after last season.

Starr described Doggett’s speed both with the ball and without as being of “international” quality. In reflection, both Starr and her staff were elated for Doggett to join the program. She hasn’t disappointed.

“We always knew she was special,” Starr said. “Even as a recruit, we were really excited when she committed to us. We just knew she had the ability because of her speed.”

Six games into her senior year, Doggett has collected a pair of goals. She’s hoping for a few more tallies, but more importantly looks to find immense “joy” in playing out the rest of her collegiate career.

“I definitely try to stay present,” Doggett said. “I talk about it with my coaches a lot, to be present in the moment. You want to look back and remember [yourself] leaving it all out on the field.”

Greg Levinsky can be reached at glevinsk@bu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @GregLevinsky