No. 15 BU Opens NCAA Tournament at Home vs. Fairfield
November 10, 2015 | Field Hockey
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NCAA Play-In Round #15 Boston University (14-6) vs. Fairfield (9-9)
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| Date | Wednesday, Nov. 11 | 1 p.m. |
| Venue | New Balance Field | Boston, Mass. |
| Watch | Patriot League Network (online) |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Game Notes | BU | Fairfield |
| @BUGameDay | @BU_FieldHockey | |
BOSTON - Making its 12th appearance in the NCAA field hockey tournament, Boston University will kick off this year's bracket when it hosts Fairfield on Wednesday (Nov. 11) in the play-in round. Game time at New Balance Field is set for 1 p.m.
BU (14-6), which came in at No. 15 in the final NFHCA poll of the year on Tuesday, successfully defended its Patriot League title to earn an automatic berth into the NCAAs. Fairfield won the MAAC championship in its first season in the conference.
This is the first time since 1991 that BU is hosting an NCAA tournament game, as the Terriers topped Harvard, 3-0, that year in the first round. BU is in the play-in round for the fourth time wand the first since this round officially became part of the tournament in 2013.
Wednesday's winner will travel to face top-ranked and No. 2-seeded North Carolina (18-2) in the NCAA First Round on Saturday (Nov. 14) at 11:30 a.m.
The Terriers are are 4-12 all-time in the NCAA tournament with appearances in 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2014. The 1985 squad won two games to reach the national semifinals and BU also picked up a win in 1991 and 2007.
All six of BU's losses this season came against teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament and two of those contests were decided in overtime.
Fairfield (9-9) was the No. 4 seed for the MAAC tournament, but upset top-seeded host Monmouth, 2-1, in the semifinals before taking down second-seeded Quinnipiac by a score of 2-0 in the title game. The Stags are in the NCAA tournament for the second time. Fairfield made its first NCAA appearance in 2001 after winning the Patriot League title.
This will be the ninth meeting between BU and Fairfield and the first since 2012. BU has won all of the previous eight, as the teams met every year from 2005-12 with the last six coming in conference play when they were in the America East. The last time the squads faced off, Sally Starr earned her 400th career win and the game marked the Terriers' final "home away from home" game before opening New Balance Field the following season.
BU and Fairfield have had three common opponents this season in Colgate, Providence and Harvard. Both teams defeated Colgate and Providence. The Stags were blanked by Harvard, 4-0, but the Terriers earned a 3-2 win over the Crimson.
Fairfield cleaned up at this year's MAAC Awards Show, claiming three major awards. Senior Julie de Paeuw was named MAAC Player of the Year, junior Ann Burgoyne was tabbed MAAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and Ruth Smalbraak was selected as the MAAC Rookie of the Year.
Burgoyne and de Paeuw earned spots on the All-MAAC First Team while Smalbraak, junior Maclaine Matties and sophomore Erin Buckley second-team selections
Burgoyne leads the Stags in both goals (19) and points (40) this season. Those totals rank her fourth in the nation with 1.06 goals per game and sixth with 2.22 points per game. Smalbraak ranks second on the team in points with 17 on six goals and five assists while de Paeuw is third with 15 points (6g, 3a).
Junior Caitlin Bennett has started all but one game in goal this season and has a 2.59 goals-against average to go along with a .696 save percentage.
Senior Sofi Laurito, now a two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, leads the Terriers in both points (31) and goals (14) this season. She has 69 career points on 30 goals and nine assists. Her 30 goals rank tied for sixth all-time at BU with Jacinda McLeod. One more goal will tie her with Jane Rogers for fifth.
Junior Bea Baumberger Altirriba has enjoyed a breakout season, tallying 24 points on five goals and a team-best 14 assists. She led all Patriot League players in assists her 0.70 assists per game average is tied for 12th in the nation. Her assist total is the most by a Terrier in a season since BU Hall of Famer Pam Spuehler had 15 in the 2007 season.
The Terriers have been bolstered by a balanced offensive attack all season, as eight players have over 10 points. Junior Hester van der Laan (7g, 4a) and senior Rachel Coll (5g, 5a) have contributed 18 and 15 points, respectively, and their 12 combined goals have come on just 32 shots.
Sophomore Grace Boston, who missed all season due to injury, has seven goals for 14 points while freshman Ally Hammel has made an immediate impact with 13 points on six goals and an assist. Juniors Amanda Cassera (5-3--13) and Taylor Blood (4-3--11) round out the impressive group.
Junior Cammy Jensen has started all 20 games in goal for BU and has a 1.84 goals-against average, which is tops among Patriot League netminders and ranks 24th nationally.
