Field Hockey Season-In-Review
December 18, 2000 | Field Hockey
Twos were wild for the Terrier field hockey team in the year 2000. In head coach Sally Starrs 20th season, B.U. captured its second-straight America East championship, a 2-1 win over New Hampshire, and earned its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, marking one of the most successful seasons in an already successful programs history. Achieving the teams goal of another NCAA appearance with a relatively young group, Starr once again showed why she is a four-time America East Coach of the Year, guiding a determined team of young women among the elite in Division I field hockey.
And the team accomplished its goals through some adversity, which came at the mid-point of the season.
It was the midway point of the 2000 campaign, and the Boston University field hockey team's season had hit a crossroads. A youthful squad, the Terriers had dropped 4-of-5 games, including a 2-1 loss in penalty strokes to rival UMass, a 3-0 loss at Hofstra which snapped their 15-game America East Conference winning streak, and another heartbreaking 2-1, double overtime decision to New Hampshire.
But where other teams might have folded, Sally Starr's club instead reeled off an impressive 8-1 stretch, culminating in a second-straight America East Championship and second-straight berth in the NCAA Division I Tournament, both firsts in program history.
Senior co-captain Robyn Kenney remarked at the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Chapel Hill, NC how the 2000 Terriers were as close as any team she'd ever been on.
"We genuinely all just like to be around each other," Kenney said.
That closeness was evident even as the Terrier season came to an end with a 2-1 loss to UMass in the opening round of the NCAA's. The team didn't want to leave the field. They didn't want the season to end and they didn't want their season together to end. But as the saying goes, "all good things"
And the 2000 Terrier field hockey season was a good thing. At the beginning of the season Starr's goal was to make the Terriers a perennial NCAA participant. Mission accomplished.
The 2000 season began with much promise for the Terriers. The Terriers kicked off the 2000 campaign on a positive note, shutting out Richmond in the opening game of the Hawkeye Tournament hosted by Iowa on August 26. It was Starr's hope to play Iowa, an NCAA Tournament semifinalist in 1999, in the championship, but the Hawkeyes were knocked off by Louisville in their first round matchup. B.U. refocused its energy and pulled out a dramatic victory over Louisville in the championship game when Robyn Kenney scored her second goal of the game 1:50 into overtime to give the Terriers a 3-2 win.
The Terriers dropped their next two decisions, a 4-2 setback at Princeton on September 8, and a tough 1-0 loss to Boston College on September 13. The lone goal scored in the BC game came on a penalty stroke 10:25 into the second half.
The America East conference schedule started up at home on September 16th versus Maine, a 3-0 Terrier win that improved the team's record to 3-2. It kicked off a five-game winning streak, which left B.U. with a 4-0 record in the conference with victories over Towson, Delaware and Vermont. A non-conference, 2-1 win over Cal-Berkeley rounded out the streak.
Old Dominion, ranked second in the country, came calling on the 15th-ranked Terriers on September 30 and showed why it would become the eventual national champion with a 7-1 victory. To B.U.'s credit, the team changed its gameplan at halftime, and played the Monarchs even in the second half, 1-1. The Terriers also did a good job limiting the nation's leading scorer, Marina DiGiacomo to only a goal and two assists. DiGiacomo led the nation in scoring in 2000 with 151 points in 26 games. Susan Harrington recorded a season-high 20 saves in the game, which snapped the Terriers home winning streak dating back to October 30, 1999.
Rachael Stillings' late goal, with 9:12 left in regulation, sent the Terriers next contest, against UMass, into overtime where the Minutewomen eventually emerged with a 2-1 win after the second round of penalty strokes.
B.U. defeated Drexel 2-1 on October 6, but followed that with the losses to Hofstra and New Hampshire, which put not only their NCAA hopes in doubt, but, more importantly, their conference tournament hopes.
The team responded with five wins in its final six games entering the America East Tournament, where it was a No. 2 seed behind New Hampshire. During that run, B.U.'s freshmen really began to assert themselves in the lineup as Starr's offensive philosophy of a balanced attack really began to click.
Whitney Peabody scored her first collegiate goal in a 3-1 win over Providence on October 14. Peabody, who finished 5-1-11 on the season, scored goals in three straight games. Celeste Hubbard netted her first collegiate goal in a 2-0 win over Northeastern on October 21, which effectively propelled the Terriers into the America East Tournament for the 11th consecutive season. It was also the third shutout of the season for Harrington, who finished second in the conference with a 1.52 goals against average, playing every minute of every game in the cage for B.U. in 2000.
In the final regular season home game for seniors Kelly Clothier, Kate Conover, Kate Cusick and Robyn Kenney, the Terriers played one of their most complete games of the season, a convincing 4-1 win which served as a springboard into the postseason. Clothier scored twice, while Cusick added another goal. Even Conover, an anchor on defense her four years at B.U., had opportunities as Starr put her in on a couple of penalty corners at the end of the game.
The Terriers were selected to host the 2000 America East Championship, which commenced on November 2 against Delaware, by virtue of being the highest seed with a turf field. B.U., which had trouble getting on the board early in contests, did just that when junior forward Jane Rogers scored just 5:16 into the game. Rogers, the Terriers leading scorer for the second year in a row with 8-12-28 in 24 games, finished the season as the 12th leading scorer all-time at B.U. with 62 points. Cusick ended her Terrier career tied for seventh all-time with 70 points.
After Delaware tied the score, Stillings netted the game-winner on a feed from Kenney with 19:29 left in the opening half. The Terrier defense, which allowed three or more goals in a game only three times all season, remained solid and limited Delaware's scoring chances in the second half.
The Terriers advanced to face New Hampshire in the championship on November 4 and used a pair of second half goals to come away with a 2-1 win, their second-straight conference championship. Christina Strauss scored on a scramble in front with 3:18 left in regulation to send the Terriers to an NCAA play-in against Rider University. Cusick had netted the equalizer with 15:13 to go for B.U., which outshot New Hampshire, 19-5 for the game.
Robyn Kenney was named Most Outstanding Player of the championship and was joined by Jane Rogers, Kate Cusick and Kerry Carney on the all-tournament team.
B.U. next hosted Rider on November 7 in an NCAA Play-in game, as neither the America East nor the Northeast Conference had an automatic bid to the tournament. After a 1-1 opening half, the Terriers got down to business, scoring five times in the second half to come away with a 6-1 win. Stillings and Rogers each had two goals and an assist for the Terriers, who were on their way to Chapel Hill, NC for a rematch with UMass in the opening round of the 2000 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Tournament.
In the NCAA Tournament, B.U. continued its strong play early on and took a 1-0 lead into the locker room when Hubbard set up Strauss, who seemed to score big goals all season.
The Terriers could not hold the lead, and UMass battled back in the second half, tying the score at 26:53, and then notching the game-winner on a shot that deflected off of Harrington's pad into the cage with just 5:22 left in the game.
That shot ended the Terriers season, but it did not end the growth that this young team experienced this season. The team has earned the right to go to the NCAA Tournament two years running. More than that, they are earning the respect of the elite teams in Division I field hockey.
The list of postseason honors for the Terrier field hockey team was an impressive one. The team finished ranked No. 13 in the nation, the same ranking as in 1999.
Robyn Kenney was named a second team All-American for her outstanding two-way play in 2000. Jane Rogers was named to the third team for the first time in her career. Kenney, who enjoyed career highs in all offensive categories, scoring 6-5--17 in 24 games, was a third team selection in 1999.
Both players were also named first team Northeast Regional All-Americans, along with Carney, who was a second team selection. Carney was a presence in the midfield for B.U., despite playing injured down the stretch.
B.U. also had nine players earn all-conference consideration, a high among member schools. Carney, Cusick and Rogers were named to the first team, Kenney, Harrington, Conover, and Felicia Cappabianca earned second team status. Peabody and Lindsey Domers, who played every minute of the season, were named to the All-Rookie Team.
Starr's goal entering the 2000 season was to strive for the next level. After a 14th-consecutive winning season, second-straight conference championship and second-straight trip to the NCAA's, it appears the Boston University field hockey team is right on track.
