BOSTON - Nationally ranked crosstown rivals will square off on Sunday (Oct. 7) when the No. 23 Boston University field hockey team hosts No. 11 Harvard at New Balance Field. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
BU is 7-3 on the year and most recently dropped a 3-1 contest at No. 5 Princeton last Sunday. The Crimson (10-1) stretched its win streak to seven games with a 3-2 win at Brown on Friday. Harvard's best wins this season have come against Maine, Penn and American.
After being on the road for the majority of the season thus far, four of the Terriers' next five contests will take place at home. BU will be looking to avenge one-goal losses to the Crimson last season and in 2016. The Terriers are 20-14-1 in 35 all-time meetings with their neighbor.
This year's Crimson squad is paced by junior Bente van Vlijmen, who has team highs in both points (23) and goals (9). Classmate Maddie Earl has added 18 points on eight goals and a pair of assists while sophomore Natalie Sicher (5g, 1a) and senior Kathleen Young (4g, 3a) have contributed 11 points apiece. Junior Casey Allen has 10 points on the strength of a team-best eight assists.
Harvard's goalkeeping has been strong this season thanks to the duo of senior Libby Manela and freshman Ellie Shahbo. The team goals-against average stands at 0.91 to go along with a .714 save percentage.
The sophomore New Zealand duo of
Ailsa Connolly and
Petra Hall has been dynamic for the Terriers with the strikers tied atop the team's scoring chart with six goals and two assists each. Senior back
Ally Hammel has 11 points, including a squad-best five assists, and fellow senior
Kara Enoch has registered eight points on three goals and two assists. Eight other Terriers have scored a goal, including all four freshmen.
Senior
Kathleen Keegan has started all 11 contests in goal this season and sports a record of 7-3 and a goals-against average of 1.99.
