No. 20 Field Hockey Hosts UNH to Open 2015 Schedule
August 27, 2015 | Field Hockey
| Field Hockey vs. New Hampshire (2015 Season Opener) | |
| Date | Friday, Aug. 28 | 6 p.m. |
| Venue | New Balance Field | Boston |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Watch | Patriot League Network (online) |
| @BUGameDay | @BU_FieldHockey | |
BOSTON - The 2015 Boston University field hockey season officially starts on Friday (Aug. 28) when the No. 20 Terriers host New Hampshire in the opener of the inaugural Tri-Conference Cup. The 6 p.m. game at New Balance Field will be broadcast live on the Patriot League Network.
The Terriers and Wildcats will be joined by No. 18 Massachusetts for the Tri-Conference Cup. UNH and UMass will face off on Saturday before BU and the Minutewomen close it out on Sunday. Both of those contests will also start at 6 p.m.
UNH will host next year's Tri-Conference Cup and the 2017 season will kick off at UMass when it hosts the event, which brings together members from the Patriot League, America East and Atlantic 10.
Sally Starr enters her 35th season as head coach of the Terriers and brings back 10 starters from last year's Patriot League championship team that posted a 13-8 record and fell to eventual national runner-up Syracuse, 2-1, in the NCAA First Round.
In fact, the only place on the field that will have a new starter in the Terrier lineup is in goal. Junior Cammy Jensen will replace Valenina Cerda Eimbcke, who captained last year's squad and was a two-time Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year.
Senior co-captains Sofi Laurito and Rachel Coll were named Patriot League Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. The duo was joined on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team by juniors Amanda Cassera and Hester van der Laan.
New Hampshire went 9-12 last year and finished as the America East runner-up. Head coach Robin Balducci returns eight starters from that squad, including its top four scorers.
Meg Flatley is back for her senior season after leading last year's team in points (39) and goals (17). Junior Lindsey Nerbonne tallied 30 points (13g, 4a) and senior Lynne Lehman and sophomore Gianna Bensaia each tallied five goals and an assist.
Former conference mates, BU and UNH have a long-standing rivalry and the Terriers hold a slim 19-18-3 advantage in the all-time series. The teams last met during the 2012 season, BU's final year in the America East, with the Wildcats posting a 1-0 home win.
