Field Hockey: Terriers take on Bucknell in Patriot League Semis
By Gracie Davenport
Following an impressive regular season, No.1 seed Boston University Field Hockey (9-8, 5-1 PL) will open their postseason with a semifinal matchup against No. 4 seed Bucknell University (5-12, 3-3 PL) on Thursday.
These two teams faced off Sunday in their regular season finale. BU proved victorious in an intense game full of disallowed goals and fired-up coaches. Big names stepped up on either side as the action went down to the final seconds. Capturing the 2-1 win, the Terriers will look to channel this momentum into tournament play.
In their 15th consecutive appearance, the Bison are no strangers to the Patriot League tournament. They have advanced to the semis 25 times in program history—a Patriot League record.
Since entering the league in 2013, BU has punched a playoff ticket eight times in 10 seasons. Over that stretch, the Terriers have faced the Bison six times en route to a 5-1 all-time record. Their lone loss came during their last meeting in 2020. Bucknell won the championship game 2-1 in overtime to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Both squads have been led by key members throughout their seasons, and the two teams combined for four of the five major league awards announced Tuesday. Bucknell’s sophomore forward Lily Neilson won Patriot League Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Year. Scoring 11 of the Bison’s 17 goals, Neilson led the league in shots, goals and points. In the NCAA, she is ranked 12th in goals per game, averaging .82.
For the Terriers, sophomore back Payton Anderson, freshman forward Martu Coulo and Head Coach Sally Starr all took home awards. Anderson won Defensive Player of the Year, as she led her team to a league-low 1.17 goals against per game. On the flip side, Anderson is also a player to watch on offense. She leads the league with four game-winning goals, including her goal on Sunday to overtake Bucknell.
Coulo won Rookie of the Year and started in all 17 games this season. Most notably, she scored two goals to lift the Terriers to a 3-2 win over Colgate University.
Lastly, Starr was named Coach of the Year for the sixth time in her career. After her team was picked to finish fifth in the league in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, she coached her team to a league-best 5-1 league record and captured the regular-season title.
The winner of Thursday’s matchup will go on to play either No. 2 seed American University or No.3 seed Lehigh University for the 2022 Patriot League Field Hockey Championship Saturday. The Terriers will look to capture their fifth Patriot League title since entering the league 10 seasons ago. Both Thursday’s semi-final and Saturday’s championship games are slated for 11 a.m. starts and will take place at William I. Jacob’s Recreational Complex in Washington, D.C.