Field Hockey: Terriers defeat UNH to record their third-straight win at home
By Henry Dinh-Price
Boston University Field Hockey (6-5, 2-1 PL) defeated the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (8-4) in a 3-2 comeback victory on Friday night at New Balance Field.
The Terriers rallied with two goals in the fourth quarter to extend their winning streak to three games and move above .500 for the first time this season.
New Hampshire opened the scoring 12 minutes in. BU could not clear the ball from harm’s way as the Wildcats unleashed shots towards the net. Wildcats sophomore forward Tasmin Cookman had her first shot blocked, but the ball found her teammate, sophomore midfielder Nicole Poulakis, whose rebound shot deflected off the leg of BU senior goalkeeper Kate Thomason.
The rebound was pounced on by Tasmin Cookman near the right post as she scored on an open net, her 12th of the season, to put the Wildcats up 1-0.
Despite not having many chances in the first quarter, the Terriers found an equalizer with just seven seconds left in the opening frame.
After a bit of possession to end the quarter, senior midfielder Rachel Borzymowski found senior midfielder Thalia Steenssens near the top of the circle.
Steenssens took a few dribbles to get inside the circle and ripped a shot to the bottom left corner past the diving graduate student goalkeeper Jemma Woods. The goal for Steenssens was her fourth of the season, all of which have come in the last three games.
The second quarter saw opportunities for UNH. The best of which came off of a penalty corner with seven minutes left in the quarter, as sophomore fullback Tamera Cookman released a shot toward the bottom left corner, requiring a kick save from Thomason to keep the score level.
The two sides went into the halftime break tied at one, despite New Hampshire’s 8-4 edge in shots and 3-0 edge in penalty corners.
New Hampshire found the go-ahead goal five minutes into the third quarter. Freshman midfielder Kathelijne Knuttel found fellow freshman midfielder Addison MacNeil on the left side of the goal, and MacNeil unleashed a shot past Thomason high into the netting to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
After taking the lead, UNH continued to put pressure on the BU defense, possessing the ball in the Terriers’ defensive end for most of the third quarter.
BU’s defense prevented New Hampshire from adding to their lead, but offensively the Terriers did not record a single shot in the third quarter.
Despite offensive struggles through the first three quarters, the Terriers looked like a different team in the fourth quarter. In the 51st minute, BU senior fullback Brooklyn Lamb delivered a cross from the right corner in front of the net. Junior midfielder Tegan Poerio got her stick on the ball from Lamb before it found sophomore forward Caroline O’Brien at the back post, and she found the back of the net with a swarm of bodies surrounding her, tying the game at 2-2.
Three minutes later, the Terriers struck again.
Freshman forward Nicole Lauro showed her speed as she dribbled from just behind midfield all the way to the right-side edge of the circle, leaving Wildcats’ defenders in the dust. At the conclusion of her run, she crossed the ball to Poerio making a run to the back post, who ran onto the ball at a full sprint and knocked it past the goal line. Poerio’s goal, her first of the season, earned the Terriers a 3-2 lead with just six minutes remaining.
New Hampshire tried to find the equalizer, but their efforts came up short. The Terriers celebrated their third straight victory.
“I just can’t be more proud of this team and the grit that they showed,” BU Head Coach Sally Starr said. “They turned it up in that fourth quarter for sure.”
New Hampshire outnumbered BU in shots 9-6 (5-3 on goal). However, the Terriers made the most of their opportunities, scoring on all three of their shots on goal.
BU will now shift its focus to Columbia, as the two teams will face off on Oct. 8. This non-league contest will begin at 1 p.m. at New Balance Field with streaming available on ESPN+.