Aug. 23, 2012
Penn Monto/NFHCA Preseason Poll | BUFHA on Facebook
BOSTON - Ranked 14th in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Preseason Poll, the Boston University field hockey team has wrapped up its preseason as it readies for its season opener on Friday (Aug. 24) at Delaware.
Head coach Sally Starr has rejoined the team after taking the preseason off to recover from heart surgery that took place earlier this summer. Associate head coach Tracey Paul headed up the squad's preseason preparations, which included a week-long stay at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in between two sessions at Jordan Field.
"[Being in Maine] was a great opportunity for us, as it's our last season before we get our new field," said Paul. "It was great for us to get out of town and essentially split up our preseason into three phases. Being from a city school, it was a different experience for the team to be in a rural setting. We had a whole dorm to ourselves, they were very welcoming, the food was magnificent and it proved to be very beneficial. It really allowed us to focus on ourselves as a team."
One of the days up in Maine, the team spent the day on a lake at the house of freshman Katie Bernatchez, who grew up in nearby Belgrade.
"We had a lot of fun up there. Katie's from that area, so the team was able to spend an enjoyable afternoon at her house out on the lake, tubing, on a water trampoline, playing all sorts of games and ending the evening with a nice campfire."
The Terriers recently took part in a pair of scrimmages, wrapping up their stay at Colby with a contest against Maine on Aug. 17 before returning to Boston to take on Colgate on Aug. 19. The coaches spread out the playing time to get a good look at all of the players.
"I think that the team has come back in shape," said Paul. "There have been some pleasant surprises and you can obviously tell that a lot of them played a good amount of hockey over the summer and turned a corner."
Four freshmen have joined the team, and their early stages of transition to college hockey have been successful ones.
"I'm really, really pleased with this freshman class," said Paul. "They definitely didn't come in looking like freshmen. We were able to have fluidity in our drills because they were able to fit right in. Rachel [Coll] and Sofi [Laurito] have been playing a lot because they've been in-season [in their countries] and Rachel [Feig] and Katie [Bernatchez] are both very strong players. They all bring something unique to the program and they will all be contributing to our success."
The Terriers welcomed their final addition to the team on Monday night when Ella Gunson arrived from New Zealand after helping her country reach the Olympic medal round for the first time ever. A veteran of over 80 international caps, Gunson is a junior transfer from Massey University in Palmerston North.
"We're all excited to add a player of Ella's caliber to our team," said Paul. "She's coming off a great performance at the Olympics and her experience will definitely be an instant asset for us."
BU was the highest-ranked of four America East squads who appeared in the NFHCA Preseason Top 25, as the conference joined the ACC and the Big Ten as the only leagues to have four teams in the poll. The Terriers matched their highest-ever preseason ranking (the preseason poll started in 2006), as it also entered the 2008 season ranked 14th.
Friday's contest against Delaware will be a good early-season test for the Terriers, who are happy to welcome back their head coach and kick off their 2012 campaign.
