Field Hockey: Terriers’ Second-Half Push Falls Short in 3-1 Loss to Northeastern
Featured Image by Jenny Chen
By Kasie Costalas
Boston University Field Hockey (5-10, 2-3 PL) couldn’t recover from an early deficit against the neighboring Northeastern Huskies (9-6) in a 3-1 loss on Sunday at Dedham Field.
The Terriers came out aggressively, drawing a corner just 41 seconds into the game. Senior forward Caroline O’Brein, who leads the Terriers this season with 10 goals and 6 assists, managed to get a shot off, but Northeastern blocked the effort. With less than two minutes into play, Huskies goalie Arabella Loveridge saved BU’s final shot of the first quarter, taken by senior midfielder Martu Coulo.
Junior Sophie Ortyl came up with two early saves in goal for the Terriers, followed by freshman defender Rachel Turer, who made her second career defensive save.
However, with their regular-season home finale on the line, Northeastern quickly found its offensive momentum. Senior forward Emilia Adragna scored the first goal of the game for the Huskies, assisted by sophomore defender Camille Armaganian on a corner.
In the second half, Northeastern quickly doubled its lead at 17:47 when forward Laine Ambrose found the back of the cage off an assist from junior midfielder Alex Mega. Less than two minutes later, Adragna struck again, this time assisted by Mega and Ashley Pappas, putting the Huskies ahead 3-0.
Despite the three-goal burst, the Terriers fought throughout the game. Ortyl kept BU in striking distance thanks to her seven-save effort, including a crucial stop on a penalty stroke late in the first half.
The Terriers’ breakthrough finally came midway through the third quarter. With under two minutes in the period, freshman forward Molly Driscoll buried her second goal of the season, whacking in a loose ball inside the circle. The goal put BU on the board and energized the Terriers going into the final quarter of play.
BU earned a final corner attempt late in the game, but junior back Alex Purcell’s shot was saved by the Huskies. Despite the effort, the Terriers couldn’t find the finishing touch to complete the comeback.
O’Brein, who led the day with four shots, nearly converted twice in the closing minutes of the game. She forced Northeastern goal substitution, Ibby Welldon, to make back-to-back saves.
Statistically, the game was closer than the score suggested, with the Terriers recording 12 shots to the Huskies’ 13. However, Northeastern had twice the number of corners as BU, giving them the scoring advantage.
Ortyl finished the day with seven saves, marking her third-highest total this season.
While the defeat marked the Terriers’ fifth straight loss, Driscoll’s third-quarter goal broke their previous 4-game shutout streak. The matchup also closed out BU’s non-conference schedule, with playoffs slated to begin late next week.
The Terriers will turn their attention to the Patriot League for their season finale on Saturday at Tyler’s Field against Colgate. Pushback is set for 11 a.m. from Hamilton, New York. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.