Field Hockey Enters Two-Game Road Weekend
September 30, 2006 | Field Hockey
After a perfect three-game homestand, the Boston University field hockey team (5-4, 0-0) will hit the road this weekend for a pair of contests. The Terriers will begin defense of their America East title at New Hampshire (1-8, 0-0) on Saturday (1 p.m.) before heading to Brown (5-2) for a non-conference matchup on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Last Time Out: BU’s most recent action came last Sunday in a 2-1 comeback win against seventh-ranked Virginia. The Terriers got goals from juniors Pam Spuehler and Sarah Hudak in the final 20 minutes to pull the upset.
Scouting the Wildcats: Despite being picked to finish third in the preseason conference poll, UNH has struggled this year, with its lone win coming against Harvard on September 15. The Wildcats have already been shut out four times, and when they have scored more than two goals they are 0-2 - both overtime losses. The Wildcats’ star is senior Emily Colton, who has recorded five goals and one assist. Junior Shauna Sellenger (2-1—5) is the team’s only other multiple-goal scorer, while her classmate, goalkeeper Margaux Shute, has faced more shots (94) than anyone in the conference. The Wildcat defense surrenders 3.44 goals per game. In last year’s conference opener, BU defeated UNH 3-0 at Jack Barry Field.
Scouting the Bears: Brown is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to Northeastern on Wednesday in which it had a three-game winning streak snapped three minutes into the extra session. Brown enters the game with an unblemished home record (3-0) and is outscoring opponents 10-4 at home. Juniors Andrea Posa (6-0—12) and Sandhya Dhir (4-1—9) lead the Bears’ attack, accounting for over half of the team’s goals. Senior Stacy Gugliotta (3-2—8) has also been effective with a team-high .214 shot percentage. Brown has a solid goalkeeper in junior Kristen Hodavance, who boasts a 1.64 GAA and a .780 save percentage. Sunday marks the first meeting between the Terriers and the Bears since 2004, when BU earned a 3-1 victory at home in spite of driving rain.
Conference Honor: Junior midfielder Pam Spuehler was named America East Player of the Week following her weekend performance, highlighted by an outstanding individual effort on her first goal of the season against Virginia. Spuehler continues to be a valuable presence for the Terriers at both ends of the field all season.
