Terriers Are Off To Connecticut For NCAA's
November 10, 1999 | Field Hockey
Boston, MA- The Boston University field hockey team will play the University of Massachusetts-Amherst at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 13 in Storrs, CT in opening round action of the 1999 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament.
Pairings for the 19th NCAA Field Hockey Championship were announced today.
The No. 13 Terriers (17-5-0) and the unranked Minutewomen (14-8) will play immediately following the No. 2 Connecticut Huskies (21-0) vs. No. 17 Brown (13-3) game at 11:30 a.m.
"We have been preparing for this opportunity since the end of last season," an elated head coach Sally Starr expressed.
B.U.embarks on its sixth NCAA tournament appearance and first since 1996. The Terriers are 3-6 in NCAA Tournament play in five previous appearances.
"Getting to the NCAAs takes a year-round committment," Starr noted. "It's a great reward for our players and all the hard work that they have put forth.
"It's a very satisfying feeling," the 1999 America East Coach of the Year explained when discussing the accomplishment of setting and meeting goals.
"Every year we want to compete for conference championships and national championships, " Starr said. This year being no exception, Starr likes her team's chances within their bracket.
The Terriers have already defeated Massachusetts, 2-1 (OT) this season and played well in a 3-0 loss at Connecticut two weeks ago.
"The bracket we're playing in is realistic," a confident Starr added .
"We're not just satisfied to have made to the NCAAs. We feel we have a realistic opportunity of advancing to the Final Four in Boston," Starr said. The NCAA Final Four will be played at Northeastern University's Parsons Field on Friday, November 19 and Sunday, November 21.
B.U. received an automatic berth into the NCAAs with its 2-0 America East Championship win over Northeastern on Sunday, November 7.
Leading the Terriers into NCAA action are America East Rookie of the Year Jane Rogers (Watertown, MA), who has a team-best 34 points (14 goals-6 assists), and seniors Danielle DeCoste (Fall River, MA), Tina McDavitt (Walpole, MA), and Jaclyn Mele (Fairfield, NJ) who checked in with 10-8-28, 8-11-27, and 5-13-23, respectively. The senior trio is also are seventh, ninth, and 15th on the Terriers' all-time scoring list.
Rogers' 34 points are the third-highest in a single season by a Terrier. Only Michelle Barnard 96 (13-35-61) and Vera Schoenfeld 95 (19-15-53) have scored more points in a season.
America East Player of the Year Jessica Alcorta (Demarest, NJ) and sophomores Felicia Cappabianca (North Caldwell, NJ) Kerry Carney (Yorktown Heights, NY), and Rachael Stillings (Escondido, CA) are B.U.'s other double-figure scorers with 0-10-10, 8-1-17, and 6-2-14, respectively.
In goal for the Terriers will be senior netminder Noreen Flanagan (Red Bank, NJ). Flanagan has started all 85 games in her career, and is 12-4-0 this season with a 1.62 goals against average and five shutouts. Flanagan is one of only three other Terriers who have NCAA tournament playing experience. She played all 70 minutes in B.U.'s, 5-4 loss to Princeton in Iowa City, IA in 1996. Alcorta and McDavitt also played in that NCAA loss. All-America East Tournament goalie Susan Harrington (Tuftonboro, NH) and Flanagan have split time most of the season. Harrington is 5-1 this season with 46 saves and a 1.36 goals against average.
The rest of the 1999 NCAA Tournament field:
Saturday, November 13
No. 1 Maryland
Maryland (20-1) vs. Lafayette (19-1) 11 a.m.
Old Dominion (16-6) vs. Virginia (13-7) 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 UConn
UConn (21-0) vs. Brown (13-3) 11 a.m.
Boston Univ.(17-5) vs. UMass (14-8) 1:30 p.m.
No. 3 Wake Forest
Wake Forest(17-3) vs. James Madison (15-6) 11 a.m.
Michigan (17-6) vs. Duke (13-7) 1:30 p.m.
No. 4 Iowa
Iowa (17-2) vs. Kent St. (17-5) 11 a.m.
Penn State (17-4) vs. North Carolina (15-5) 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 14
Winners will play at 2 p.m.
