BURLINGTON, Vt. - Sophomore
Caroline O'Brien capped a hat-trick performance with a goal in double overtime to lift the Boston University field hockey team to a thrilling 4-3 win at Vermont on Sunday afternoon at Moulton Winder Field.
The Terriers rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a pair of O'Brien goals before junior
Payton Anderson gave BU a 3-2 lead in the third quarter. The Catamounts scored in the final moment of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Senior
Kate Thomason was impressive in goal, making a career-high 12 saves, including three in overtime.
BU moves to 2-3 on the season while Vermont falls to 2-3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Vermont scored on the first corner of the game as Sophia Drees found the back of the cage with assists from Haley Buffenbarger and Maddie Moran at the 8:59 mark.
- The home team doubled its lead four minutes later on a goal from Reggie Hillery.
- BU had two shots in the second quarter and scored on both them to draw even.
- Off a corner, O'Brien drilled a shot past UVM netminder Lauren Halenkamp with assists from sophomore Megan Wetzel and senior Thalia Steenssens in the 22nd minute.
- O'Brien scored another corner goal four minutes later as her shot went off a UVM stick and high into the cage with assists going to Wetzel and junior Tegan Poerio.
- BU earned four straight corners early in the second half and used the final one to take the lead.
- Anderson found the left corner of the cage on helpers from junior Natalie Epperson and Steenssens to put BU up 3-2 at 33:06.
- Moments after the Terriers went up, Thomason raced out to make a stop and redirected the shot over the cage.
- Thomason added three more saves in the fourth quarter before the Catamounts sent the game to overtime.
- UVM earned three corners in the final half-minute and scored off the last one when Haley Buffenbarger snuck a shot past Thomason after the clock expired.
- Sophomore Martu Coulo had the first scoring chance of overtime but her consecutive shots were saved and blocked.
- The Catamounts earned back-to-back corners in the sixth minute of double overtime but Thomason was up to the task, making saves each time to allow for O'Brien's heroics.
- The winning play came off a corner as Steenssens sent a direct insert to O'Brien, who notched her third goal of the contest at the 76:58 mark.
GAME NOTES
- Thomason topped her previous career high of nine saves set on Friday against No. 16 Boston College.
- O'Brien has now scored four of BU's past five goals.
- UVM held a 22-15 shot advantag and had 16 corners while allowing 11.Â
- Halenkamp made six saves for the Catamounts.
- Steenssens collected three assists to up her team-leading season total to five.
- Wetzel had the first two-assist game of her career.
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will return to action on Saturday (Sept. 16) when they visit Holy Cross for their Patriot League opener.
- Game time in Worcester is set for 4 p.m.