Field Hockey: Terriers set to host UNH and Columbia
By Alexa Podalsky
It’s a holiday weekend in Mass., and Boston University Field Hockey (5-5, 2-1 PL) is hosting the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (8-3) and the Columbia University Lions (3-7). The Terriers will look to improve their even record after two consecutive wins in their six-game homestand.
BU has yet to top .500 this season with two shut-out losses against the No. 11 Boston College on Sept. 8 and Monmouth University on Sept. 24.
Game 1: BU v. UNH – Oct. 6 at 6 p.m.
The Terriers historically held a six-game win streak against the Wildcats until their Aug. 28 matchup last season where they lost 5-2. This season, UNH has had no issue beating Michigan State with a score of 4-0 while BU suffered a 1-3 loss.
However, the Wildcats’ record could also be attributed to the lack of strength in their schedule. They’ve beaten teams similar to BU’s caliber, like the Ball State Cardinals and the University of California-Davis, but lost to BC.
UNH’s successes might be due to the number of shots on goal they’ve had so far this season, totaling 108 out of 176 total shots.
Two players to look out for are the Cookman twins: sophomore forward Tasmin Cookman and sophomore defender and midfielder Tamera Cookman. Together, they dominate the field and have earned 92 shots — 53 on goal.
Tasmin has had an impressive season so far. She is ranked first in shots in the AE, second in shots on goal and goals scored, and has already recorded one game-winning goal. Meanwhile, Tamera sits in second place for game-winning goals.
Another notable player in the midfield is sophomore Nicole Poulakis who ranks first in the AE for assists and has the second-highest number of points and goals on the team.
Game 2: BU v. Columbia – Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.
Columbia might be an easier matchup for BU despite the Terriers recording a loss at their last matchup early in the 2019 season. Sunday will be both team’s second time facing off.
The Lions have only recorded one road win this season, and it came against Monmouth. The other two home wins came against Cornell University and Lafayette College.
The Terriers should look out for Columbia’s junior goalkeeper Katie Wimmer whose save percentage is 74.4%. Because of her performance, the Lions have yet to lose by more than two points despite their lack of offensive strength.
Wimmer was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week in early Sept. after posting nine saves against Monmouth and Lafayette.
Freshman forward Mckenzie Bloom is another player to look out for as she has recorded three goals this season, but junior midfielder Lindsey Yu leads the offense with four goals.
For both games, BU should focus on helping senior goalkeeper Kate Thomason protect the goal. The majority of losses this season have been by two goals or more. They will also need to work on capitalizing on penalty corners.
This week, senior midfielder Thalia Steenssens and junior forward Payton Anderson were given Player of the Week awards for their respective positions.
Steenssens scored five goals and two assists over the weekend and was responsible for the double-overtime winning goal against the Northeastern Huskies on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Anderson’s excellent performance on the defense made the winning difference in last weekend’s set of games. Due to her defensive efforts, the Bucknell Bisons and Huskies were scoreless in the second half of both games.
The Terriers will look to continue to improve their at-home record this weekend. The first game against UNH is set for 6 p.m. on Friday at New Balance Field and will be available to stream on ESPN+.