Terriers Advance to PL Championship Game with 5-1 Victory over Holy Cross

Thursday, April 22

Boston, MA

12 PM

Boston University

(5-0)

Holy Cross (PL Semifinal)

(2-4)

Holy Cross

Boston University

Photo by: Meg Kelly

Terriers Advance to PL Championship Game with 5-1 Victory over Holy Cross

April 22, 2021 | Field Hockey

Box Score Highlights Box Score Photos Coach Starr Postgame

BOSTON - Junior Rebecca Janes collected her first collegiate hat trick to lead the Boston University field hockey team to a 5-1 victory over Holy Cross on Friday afternoon in a Patriot League semifinal contest at New Balance Field.

BU (5-0) advanced to its seventh Patriot League title game and will look to win its fifth conference tournament since joining the Patriot League in 2013. The Terriers will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 seed American and No. 3 seed Bucknell.

Janes finished the afternoon with a Patriot League Tournament-record seven points as she also assisted on senior Kathryn Scheerer's goal. Her three goals also matched a conference tournament record. Sophomore Gianna Pantaleo notched her first collegiate goal while classmate Ellie McIntyre added an assist. Sophomore Caroline Kelly made two saves to earn the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Terriers took advantage of their first penalty corner of the contest to open the scoring just 2:24 into the proceedings. Scheerer stopped the insert and dished it to senior Alexis Pettisani. She dribbled to the right side of the circle and slid a low shot towards the left post. The goalkeeper saved Pettisani's bid, but the rebound popped right to Janes on the doorstep and she knocked it home for her second goal of the year.
BU extended its lead to 2-0 exactly two minutes later. Senior Liz Ryan passed the ball to classmate Miya Denison at the right edge of the circle. She slid a pass to McIntyre in front of the cage. With her back towards goal, McIntyre shielded the ball from her defender before turning and sending the ball towards the left post. Janes was in perfect position to knock the ball over the goal line for her second strike of the contest.
Kelly made a nice stop on the Crusaders' first corner of the contest to keep the Terriers' lead at 2-0 early in the second quarter, but Holy Cross converted on another corner late in the second quarter to make it a 2-1 contest at halftime.
Scheerer added to the Terriers' lead in the 41st minute when she corralled Janes' insert and sent a shot that went through traffic in front of the goalkeeper and into the back of the cage.
Janes completed her hat trick with 4:40 remaining in regulation when she was in perfect position to redirect a pass past Brooke Ross (eight saves).
Pettisani came to the rescue with a defensive save right after Janes' third goal to keep the score at 4-1.
Pantaleo then closed the scoring with her first collegiate goal in the 57th minute. After a long clearance from the BU end, Pantaleo picked up a loose ball off a Holy Cross stick and dribbled into the circle before uncorking a shot that whistled past Ross.

GAME NOTES

Janes is the first player in Patriot League Tournament history to notch seven points in a game.
Five other players had previously recorded six points (all hat tricks) in a PL playoff game, including former Terrier Sofi Laurito in a semifinal win over Bucknell in 2015.
One more goal by Janes will match the record for tallies over an entire tournament.
BU improved to 11-2 in the Patriot League Tournament and 7-0 in the PL semifinals.
Scheerer has notched a point in three straight games and in four of her five appearances this season.

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