Field Hockey: Terriers top Colgate 3-2
By Gracie Davenport
Boston University Field Hockey (6-6, 4-0 PL) rallied to a 3-2 win as they hosted the Colgate University Raiders (2-11, 0-3 PL) at Berylson Family Field on Saturday.
With this win, the Terriers officially clinch a Patriot League playoff berth. They improve their conference record to 4-0, and in the process move into the sole No. 1 spot in the Patriot League standings.
This game marked BU’s Senior Day, and the Terriers honored their six Class of 2023 members before the game—five of them making the starting lineup.
Looking at the scoreboard, the first quarter was all BU. All three of the Terriers’ goals came in this frame, but both teams played strong offensively. Early on, Colgate earned the first penalty corner of the game but was unable to convert. Not long after, freshman forward Martu Coulo scored her second goal of the season. Coulo cleanly picked off a Colgate pass in the circle and shot the ball past Colgate goalkeeper Anna Unger.
Seven minutes later, BU scored a pair of goals to take a 3-0 lead. The first goal came from sophomore midfielder Ella Rottinghaus. Playing in just her second game this season, this marked her first goal. Senior forward Ellie McIntyre did most of the work, carrying the ball into the circle, and setting up Rottinghaus for the tap-in. Just 24 seconds later, Coulo scored her second of the game. Junior forward Tess Csejka battled hard to keep possession before passing to Coulo, who had a wide-open net.
Regardless of the score, Colgate showcased their offensive talent throughout the quarter. They controlled offensive possession for the majority of the frame and led in penalty corner attempts 3-1. BU senior goalkeeper Caroline Kelly had to stand tall to keep the Raiders off the scoresheet. Kelly was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week this past week and has started in all 12 of BU’s games this season.
The second quarter proved more defensively tight on both sides. Colgate goalkeeper Cammy Foster started the frame in relief of Unger. The Raiders scored the lone goal 2:28 into the quarter. The opportunity came after a failed penalty corner sequence—their fourth of the game. Colgate’s main offensive power, junior midfielder Ella Murphy, tallied the goal. Two minutes later, BU narrowly missed on a penalty corner of its own. The initial shot made it past Foster, but Colgate freshman defender Tyler Argilagos stopped the ball on the goal line.
In the third, the defense on both sides stepped up yet again in a penalty corner-heavy quarter. BU sophomore defender Payton Anderson was green carded at the 39:36 mark, leading to an eventual Colgate penalty corner goal.
With 2:47 left in the frame, junior midfielder Thalia Steenssens inserted on BU’s fifth penalty corner and attempted to set up Coulo for the hat trick. However, Coulo could not record a shot attempt, as a Colgate defender denied the play from ensuing. The Terriers led in shots 5-3 but with nothing to show.
The fourth quarter remained relatively quiet up until the final minutes. At only 4:19 left to play, Colgate picked up a pair of consecutive penalty corners. The first shot came in low, but Kelly was able to knock it away. On the second shot, with the game on the line, senior defender Rachel Borzymowski stopped the ball before it reached Kelly.
In the final two minutes of the game, BU’s star freshman Amalia Preece was inches away from scoring an insurance goal, but it would not be needed as time ran out. BU left the quarter unscathed and move back to .500.
The Terriers will finish the second half of their back-to-back in an away match against Northeastern University Sunday at 1 p.m. at Dedham Field.