Thanks to their resilience, the BU field hockey Terriers are taking on Lafayette in the Patriot League semifinals in Washington, D.C. (left). The BU women’s soccer team is headed to the Patriot League semifinals after a dramatic 3-2 win over Lehigh in the conference quarterfinals October 29 (right).

Varsity Sports

Women’s Soccer, Field Hockey Head to Patriot League Semifinals Thursday

Both teams beginning quest for a conference title: field hockey takes on Lafayette, soccer faces Bucknell

Both proving their resilience, the BU women’s soccer and field hockey teams have earned berths in the Patriot League semifinals. The soccer team has notched several come-from-behind victories this year, thanks to a gritty attitude that keeps the squad competitive in each of its games. Meanwhile, the field hockey team has successfully battled to the semis despite losing three key players to injury at the beginning of the season. 

Both teams will play in their respective semifinal matchups on Thursday, November 2. 

Women’s soccer

After a 3-2 win in penalty kicks over Lehigh in the Patriot League quarterfinals October 29, the fourth-seeded women’s soccer team is preparing for a semifinal showdown with No. 2 Bucknell. The matchup will be at Bucknell, in Lewisburg, Pa., Thursday, November 2, at 7 pm. 

The quarterfinal win, a back-and-forth thriller with three lead changes, showcased the never-say-die attitude that has empowered the Terriers all season long. BU tied the game in the 77th minute on a penalty kick tally by Giulianna Giannino (Sargent’26), then earned the win in the penalty shootout after Celia Braun (CAS’25) stopped four Lehigh attempts. 

“We’ve shown all year we can really show resiliency,” says head coach Casey Brown (COM’10). “We always come back. We have a punch.” 

The Terriers notched a comeback 3-2 win over Albany on August 27, and come-from-behind draws, with Northeastern on September 3 and Bucknell on October 14. BU has played to a 7-6-6 mark, with a 4-3-2 Patriot League record. 

Brown likes to call her team “mentality monsters,” because the group is united and focused on the team’s collective goal and mentality on the pitch. “The cohesion of this group is so strong,” she says. “When you feel that you’ve always got people behind you and together, there’s a real power in that and a power in the collective.” 

Giannino has stuffed the stat sheet all season, notching team highs in goals (7) and assists (4). But offensive production has come from up and down the lineup, too, with 6 different BU players having at least three goals, and 10 finding the net at least once. “We have confidence in our attack,” Brown says. “Anyone can kind of create the moment and get it done. They’ve been excellent.” 

For the returners on the team, the semifinal presents an opportunity for revenge, since Bucknell eliminated the Terriers in last year’s Patriot League semifinal in penalties. To win, the team will need to play to its fullest potential—from the opening kick to the final buzzer. 

“The greatest thing about the Patriot League is it’s always neck and neck. Every team is going to be a game, and you’re going to get that team’s best game every time you play them,” says Terrier captain Abigail McNulty (Sargent’24). “A game is 90 minutes long and you have to play that full 90 or things won’t go your way.”

Field hockey

The field hockey team notched an 8-9 regular season record with a tough schedule that included three nationally ranked opponents. Now, with a spot in the Patriot League championship game on the line, the Terriers are preparing to face Lafayette on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

The Terriers have been at a disadvantage all season, after Tess Csejka (CAS’24), Ella Rottinghaus (CAS’25), and Maddie Hudson (CAS’26) suffered season-ending injuries. But the veteran-laden team has willed its way through that adversity, and now finds itself with a chance to win its first Patriot League title since 2018.

“It’s been a rocky season in a lot of ways, with some really good wins and some bad losses,” says head coach Sally Starr. “Regardless of the outcome, it’s a team that has continued to work really hard and stayed together. We have an outstanding team culture.” 

To secure the elusive conference championship, Starr says, the team needs to embrace the chance to compete in a high-pressure environment. “You really just have to be focused on the opportunity to compete, and the exhilaration of competition,” she says. “It’s really that simple. We have a saying: ‘When we compete, we’re tough to beat.’”

Caroline O’Brien (CAS’26) and Thalia Steenssens (CAS’24) are tied for the team lead in points, with 18, and goalkeeper Kate Thomason has started all 17 games in net.

The program considers itself a group of grinders, says Rachel Borzymowski (CAS’24). “We’re going to do what we need to do to grind it out. This team has shown a lot of resiliency over the whole course of the season, but then also in small moments during a game. Just the amount of resiliency and never giving up, that’s a huge core part of the character on this team.” 

The results reflect that mentality. Six of the team’s eight wins have been one-goal triumphs, and four of them have come in overtime. And although the third-seeded Terriers will be an underdog against No. 2 Lafayette, Borzymowski feels confident in BU’s ability to pull the upset. 

“We have all the tools that we could possibly need,” she says. “Now, all we need to do is make sure that we bring out that gritty and resilient side of ourselves.” 

The BU field hockey team takes on Lafayette on Thursday, November 2, at 2 pm, in the Patriot League semifinals in Washington, D.C., which will be broadcast on ESPN+. The league championship is Saturday, November 4, at 1 pm, also in Washington, D.C., and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well. The women’s soccer team battles Bucknell in a Patriot League semifinal matchup in Lewisburg, Pa, on Thursday, November 2, at 7 pm, which will be streamed on ESPN+. The league’s championship will be held Sunday, November 5, at noon, location TBA. That game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.