Field Hockey: Terriers lose 2-1 in overtime of Patriot League Finals
By Alexa Podalsky
The season has come to a disheartening end for Boston University Field Hockey (10-9, 5-1 PL) after losing in the Patriot League Finals. In a penalty-filled match, the Terriers lost in overtime by a score of 2-1 against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (12-7, 4-2 PL).
BU came out with strong possession of the ball to start the game. In the first six minutes, junior midfielder Thalia Steenssens received four penalty corners that all resulted in shots.
Despite a strong offensive start from the Terriers, most of their attempts to score were stopped by the Mountain Hawks senior goalkeeper Maddie Kahn; this would be a common theme throughout the first quarter.
Toward the end of the quarter, both BU and Lehigh received a foul before the Terriers attempted two more shots, and Steenssens received another penalty corner. Going into the second period, BU was the dominant team.
That notion quickly changed after the Terriers received another foul at the start of the second quarter, which was followed shortly after by a green card against senior forward Ellie McIntyre. The once-dominant offense started to fall behind Lehigh’s, which would prove to be the biggest contribution to their loss.
Lehigh’s offense took back control during the second quarter, receiving one corner and eight shots, holding BU to one shot and zero corners. The Terriers also had six saves compared to Lehigh’s one.
BU received their third foul of the game shortly after the twenty-four-minute mark, followed by a green card against freshman forward Martu Coulo. The Terriers went into halftime losing the momentum that propelled them in the first quarter.
Entering the second half, both teams had a more even performance though neither side could get past the other’s defense. BU received their third and final green card of the game about halfway through the third quarter, which was given to freshman midfielder Megan Wetzel.
After the two-minute penalty was over, BU’s graduate midfielder Casey Thompson scored the first goal of the game at the 41:45 mark, which was assisted by Coulo.
The Terriers’ lead was short-lived. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Lehigh freshman forward Maddie Kandra tied the game with her seventh goal of the season. The Terriers continued to try and score, but found their attempts to be unsuccessful in getting past Kahn.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Lehigh received their only penalty of the game, a green card against senior forward MJ Schwab. Despite being down a player, Lehigh received back-to-back penalty corners to end the quarter.
With a tied score of 1-1, the Patriot League Finals went into overtime. The Terriers started their best-performing players, including Steenssens, who received every penalty corner of the game, and sophomore forward Payton Anderson, who scored nine goals this season.
The Terriers set the pace for the overtime period, attempting four shots that were all saved by Kahn, and receiving a penalty corner in the first five minutes. Though they were unable to capitalize on the penalty corner, BU seemed to regain the dominance that they had in the first quarter.
Lehigh seemed to be falling behind the Terriers’ offense until six minutes into the overtime period.
Junior forward Lotte Smorenburg received a corner that resulted in a shot. BU’s senior goalkeeper Caroline Kelly was able to save the ball from going in, but was faced with the threat of another penalty corner immediately after.
At the blow of the whistle, senior defender Sydney White received possession of the ball and passed it to sophomore midfielder Guusje Hogendoorn. The ball was shot from the top of the circle, past Kelly, and landed in the top right corner of the cage, ending the game with a loss for the Terriers.
Lehigh’s win gives the Mountain Hawks their first Patriot League title in 28 years.
The Terriers held losing records in both 2019 and 2021, a sharp decline from their consistent NCAA tournament appearances. BU was able to transform a disappointing 2021 record of 4-14 into a winning 2022 record of 10-9 in just one year. BU Head Coach Sally Star celebrated her 500th win with the team in 2022 and remains as BU Athletics’ longest-tenured coach.
This season marks the first time that the Terriers have earned a seed in the Patriot League Tournament since 2018, proving the team has put in the work to move toward an even brighter future in 2023.