The field hockey Terriers topped Bucknell 2-1 October 30 to claim their sixth Patriot league regular season title in eight years. They face off against Bucknell again today, November 3, in the Patriot League championship semifinals at American University, and the winner will go on to the November 5 conference championship game at American. Photo by Brian Kelley.

Varsity Sports

Field Hockey, Women’s Soccer Advance to Patriot League Semifinals

Field hockey

By any standard, the 2022 season has been challenging for BU’s field hockey team. All of their practices and home games had to be held off campus because of New Balance Field’s ongoing renovation. Splitting home games between Harvard’s Berylson Family Field in Allston and BC’s Newton Campus field, the Terriers made the best of their situation though, winning five of six games in Patriot League play, and clinching this year’s Patriot League regular season title.  

With the best record in the league, the Terriers earned hosting rights to this year’s Patriot League Tournament. However, with New Balance still out of commission, the tournament will be hosted by No. 2 seed American in Washington, D.C. 

No. 1 seed BU will face No. 4 Bucknell in the Patriot League semifinals Thursday, November 3, and although her players won’t get to play on their home field, head coach Sally Starr, now marking her 42nd season helming the team, says they’re excited about advancing to the semifinals. 

“We’re really looking forward to competing in this year’s Patriot League Championship,” Starr says. “This is something we really started working on when we didn’t make the conference tournament last fall—creating a team culture, a championship culture, a culture of people that were really going to work hard for themselves and for each other.” 

The Terriers’ season contrasts sharply with their 2021 campaign, when they finished 4-14, 2-4 in the Patriot League, and failed to qualify for the tournament. 

“Looking back on last season, it’s clearly been a challenge, but I don’t think that stopped us from wanting to win,” goalkeeper Caroline Kelly (COM’23) says. “I think the whole team culture this year was better than ever, and it got us fired up for the whole season—we’re looking forward to this tournament to come.”

The Terriers clinched the regular season title with a victory over Bucknell October 30. Kelly’s seven saves against Bucknell garnered her the Patriot League Field Hockey Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday. The win against Bucknell marked Starr’s 18th regular season title. 

“We are looking forward to an opportunity to play on Thursday against Bucknell, a team that was really game and gave us a great challenge,” Starr says.

If they beat the Bisons again, the Terriers will then advance to the Patriot League Championship game Saturday, November 5, against the winner of the semifinal between No. 2 American and No. 3 Lehigh. 

Women’s soccer

With a 6-3 record, No. 3 seed BU women’s soccer finished third in the Patriot League. The Terriers defeated No. 6 Loyola-Maryland 3-0 in their quarterfinal game October 30 and will face Bucknell in the league’s semifinal contest at Bucknell in Lewiston, Pa., November 3. 

“We’re really excited to be in the position we are,” says Casey Brown (CGS’08, COM’10), wrapping up her first year as head coach. “This part of the season, we know it’s win or go home time, so we’re really excited for our next opponent in Bucknell. We feel like it’s gonna be a great match and this is part of our journey to trying to win a championship.”

The Terriers were slow-starters this season, finishing 3-5 in nonconference play. But the second half of the season marked a turning point, including a 1-0 victory over then No. 25 Harvard on October 4. 

“One of the highlights is definitely beating Harvard a few weeks ago,” says Lily Matthews (CAS’24), who was picked for the All-Patriot League Third Team. “We had suffered a few losses beforehand, and that game turned it around and proved to us that we can beat ranked teams. We took a lot of confidence from that, and I think it really helped us in the Patriot League as well.”

Brown attributes the team’s string of recent wins to the players’ development both as individuals and as a team. 

“It’s been a really growth-minded mentality across the board from our entire team,” she says. “We’ve just gotten better over time, and as a result, we feel really ready to take that full step going into the championship this weekend. We know we have to take care of Bucknell first and foremost, so that’s where all of our energy and focus is going right now.” 

BU placed six players on All-Patriot League teams, including two on the All-Patriot League First Team. Giulianna Gianino (Sargent’25) was named 2022 Patriot League Rookie of the Year for her six points in 18 regular season games. 

The Terriers know they face a formidable opponent in today’s game at Bucknell. The Bison beat the Terriers 1-0 on October 15, and triumphed over BU 1-0 in the 2021 Patriot League final. 

“Knowing that we lost against Bucknell in the final last year, this game has a lot of emotions and just a year of hard work attached to it,” Matthews says. 

“Our group has really proven throughout the season to be road warriors, and we’re excited every time we get to go on the road,” Brown says. “We love the challenge of it. And I think our girls are especially fired up for that matchup against Bucknell.” 

A victory would advance BU to the Patriot League Championship game on Sunday, November 6, where they would take on either No. 1 Army West Point or No. 4 Lehigh. BU would either travel to West Point, N.Y., or host Lehigh in Boston, depending on the outcome of the Army West Point–Lehigh semifinal. 

Both BU field hockey and women’s soccer semifinal matchups will be against Bucknell and both are Thursday, November 3. Field hockey plays at 11 am at American University‘s Jacobs Recreational Complex in Washington, D.C. Women’s soccer plays at 7 pm at Bucknell’s Holmes Stadium in Lewisburg, Pa. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and covered live on Twitter @BUGameDay. The Patriot League Field Hockey Championship game will be held on Saturday, November 5, at 11 am, at American University. The Patriot League Women’s Soccer Championship game will be Sunday, November 6, at 2 pm, in Boston or West Point. Learn more about the teams and the tournaments on GoTerriers.com and PatriotLeague.org.