Field Hockey: BU fails to keep pace with UNH, falls 5-2
By Alexa Podalsky
After an opening day win, the Boston University women’s field hockey team was looking to pick up another victory to begin the season. However, the Terriers fell short with a 5-2 loss against the New Hampshire Wildcats on Sunday.
The Wildcats dominated offensively thanks to a hat trick from Tasmin Cookman, a freshman forward with experience on England’s National Youth Field Hockey Team. The Terriers primarily focused their efforts on defending in goal after not being able to capitalize on shots and penalty corners.
The Wildcats came out strong to start the first quarter, maintaining possession for most of the period. Right off the bat, New Hampshire had two shots within the first three minutes of the game. But with pressure from the Terriers’ defense and a save by their goalkeeper Caroline Kelly, the UNH offense could not score.
BU’s first major offensive play was at the 10:08 mark, with senior midfielder Mikayla Crowley and junior midfielder Thalia Steenssens posting back-to-back shots. However, the Terriers struggled to keep their momentum going, allowing the Wildcats to maintain an edge.
New Hampshire received the first penalty corner, which Kelly once again saved. BU’s defense held up against the Wildcats despite multiple advances from the Durham-based team, ending the quarter without a goal.
In the second quarter, the Terriers’ defensive effort was no match for the Wildcats on the scoring end. BU also struggled to convert offensively after the UNH defense began to surge.
The Wildcats’ first score of the game came 18 minutes into the game at the hands of Cookman, who managed to slip the ball past Kelly.
Only a few minutes later, Cookman scored again coming off the second corner of the game. The Terriers started to pick up offensively later in the period, receiving three corner penalties that resulted in shots.
It wasn’t until the start of the third quarter that the Terriers received their first goal, scored by junior Tess Csejka. BU continued to trail the rest of the quarter behind the Wildcats, who picked up two more goals from Leah Glidden.
Throughout the fourth, the Terriers struggled to get the ball past New Hampshire goalie Jemma Woods. Crowley scored the last goal of the game after a few shots on goal.
Head Coach Sally Starr attributed the defeat to various absences and injuries up and down the roster, including freshman Amalia Preece, that contributed to offensive-end troubles.
“Our players have to play more minutes than what’s ideal for a game,” Starr said. “They’re not able to play at their best because when you’re tired, you can’t be expected to play as strongly.”
The Terriers still managed to out-corner New Hampshire 8-4 and took 15 shots on goal.
As players continue to recover, there are a few other areas Starr is looking to improve on going into practice this week, including what she calls the 3 P’s: playing at a better pace, increasing possession, and capitalizing on penalty corners.
“In general, [the team] needs to cut down on unforced turnovers,” Starr said. “We gave the ball away more than we needed to.”
The Terriers will play their next game at the University of Iowa against the Hawkeyes on September 2 at 3 p.m.