Despite finishing the season with a 4-14 record (2-4 Patriot League), the Boston University field hockey team had plenty of close games, as nine of their 14 losses were only lost by a margin of one or two goals.
The Terriers also faced off against some of the strongest teams in the country. The Harvard Crimson (15-1), currently ranked No. 11, beat the Terriers 1-0 in mid-October on a penalty-stroke goal. No. 15 American University (13-3, 6-0 Patriot League) beat the Terriers 3-1 later that week. Both teams won their respective conferences and are continuing play in the NCAA tournament.
“[Harvard] only beat us 1-0 in the last few weeks of the season … We were almost able to make [the American game] a 2-1 game or 2-2 game at one point, so it took them to the end of the game to beat us after I pulled the goalie,” head coach Sally Starr said. “Those games really showed that this game was capable of competing and competing against some of the top teams in the country towards the end of the season.”
Borzymowski leads backfield, accumulates Patriot League honors
In addition to being named to the All-Patriot League Second Team, junior midfielder/fullback Rachel Borzymowski was named to the 2021 Academic All-Patriot League Team for the second year in a row. She also had the most minutes on the team, playing for 988 minutes in 17 contests, and ranked first in the Patriot League in defensive saves with six.
“[Borzymowski was] just really willing to be wherever we needed her, and playing her at center back … at the end of the year, I think she really found a good home there and really played it very well,” Starr said. “She really, in particular, had a very key role because everybody around her were freshmen. … She really helped to hold them together and led them really well.”
安德森达到20分的马克,凯利埃米尔ges as starting goalkeeper
Freshman forward Payton Anderson scored 10 goals and accumulated 24 total points in her rookie season. She also shot 53 times throughout the season. Even though Anderson’s 10 goals just fell short of Ailsa Connolly’s 11 in 2017 for most by a BU rookie, she was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week two times. Most recently, Anderson was named to the 2021 All-Patriot League Second Team.
BU’s goalkeepers — junior Caroline Kelly and sophomore Kate Thomason — started the season splitting time, but Kelly emerged as the starter and got the majority of playing time starting after the first five games. Overall, she allowed 39 goals and saved 105 shots to earn a save percentage of .729. Kelly was also named to the 2021 All-Patriot League Second Team.
“Caroline became the more consistent of the two goalies and performed really well in the games,” Starr said. “She kept us in a lot of games, particularly late in the year, that I think really gave us the opportunity to stay competitive.”
Terriers wrapped up the season with a statement win over Holy Cross
Anderson scored two goals in the 6-1 win, and two freshmen — midfielder/fullback Tegan Poerio and midfielder Ella Rottinghaus — both scored their first goals as Terriers. The Terriers’ 21-player roster is composed of six freshmen and five sophomores, who were either in their first year or their first full season of collegiate competition.
“We started four freshmen in that game. Three freshmen accounted for four of the goals,” Starr said. “That was the cherry on the cake. It really epitomized the season for us where we played great team hockey, great team defense. If we hadn’t continued to work as hard as we had all season, we would never been able to have that type of performance against Holy Cross in our last game.”
