Field Hockey: Anderson’s performance powers Terriers in 3-0 win against Lehigh

By: Mel Mastela

Boston University field hockey (4-4, 1-1 PL) started off strong in their first home game of the Patriot League conference with a whopping victory against Lehigh University (4-4, 1-1 PL) Saturday afternoon at the New Balance field.

It was a rough start to the game when, minutes into the first quarter, BU graduate forward Pili Alvarez received a green card against the Mountain Hawks. Nevertheless, the Terriers persevered to achieve their first conference win of the season.

Holding on to her goal streak, senior midfielder Payton Anderson did not let the senior Lehigh goalie Jenny Canoni stop her from scoring with 49 seconds left in the first quarter for her first of the night.

Ending the first quarter with a goal, the Terriers went into the second quarter hungry for more, making the Mountain Hawks eager to stop BU’s momentum.

The Terriers started the second quarter strong with a shot on goal that Canoni saved, striking fear within the Lehigh team.

Despite the influx of shot attempts, neither team could pass their respective goalkeepers, and the half ended 1-0 in favor of BU.

Going into the second half, both teams knew they had to step it up in order to push their team further.

Immediately after the second half started, Anderson doubled their lead after earning a penalty corner, earning her second of the night and seventh goal of the season, becoming the ninth Terrier to achieve 30 career goals in the program’s history. Anderson’s stellar performance earned her 12 points in her last four games.

Continuing forward with this momentum, BU fired four more shots on goal, although they had no luck finding the back of the net. Similarly, the Mountain Hawks strived for an opening with three shots on goal but had no luck beating Terrier graduate student goalie Kate Thomason.

After much back-and-forth play and equal persistence, the third quarter ended with BU leading 2-0. As the end of the game was near, Lehigh sought a chance to score and get themselves back in the game.

Going into the last quarter feeling strong, the Terriers were ready for a brawl.

The Mountain Hawks seemed to be having a rough time with no shot on goal and no chance despite more than one corner awarded throughout the quarter. BU hung on to hope when one of the two shots hit by Lehigh went in, but after intense deliberation, the goal was discounted due to a back-stick shot attempt.

The Terriers were striving in the last quarter with seven shots total and four being directly on goal.

BU’s stellar performance ended off a direct insert from junior forward Caroline O’Brian to senior forward Tess Csejka for their final insurance goal of the night.

Ending the game at 3-0, The Terriers secured their first home conference win of the season, and their second shutout since their first game back in August.

“It’s a really good win for us,” BU Head Coach Sally Starr said post-game. “It’s a conference win, and any conference win is a big win.”

The Terriers hope to keep this energy up for their next game on Friday, Oct. 4, in yet another conference matchup against the College of Holy Cross. This game will begin at 3 p.m. at the New Balance field and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.