Seconds after the Northeastern field hockey team handed Boston University a 3-1 season-ending loss last Friday, sniffling BU athletes scattered the field sobbing into each other’s shoulders, lips quivering and all.
I smiled.
Standing in the press box soaking in the scene, I couldn’t help grinning and chuckling at our heartbroken Boston neighbors.
Was it mean? Probably. Cold-hearted? You bet. Do I regret it? Not in the least.
What you have to understand, though, is I really hate BU.
And isn’t that what unites us all? Old and young, male and female, student and teacher: About everyone around this place can’t stand those Commonwealth Avenue kids. Which is why I can’t understand why literally no one showed up for the Huskies America East opening round contest against the Terriers last week. Northeastern powered past the Terriers for the second time this year, behind a pair of Liane Dixon goals and a Melissa Rowell score.
It’s a good thing that when the game started, there were exactly 38 NU supporters scattered about on the sidelines. Almost all of these fans, sadly enough, were related to Husky athletes.
Earlier this year, NU junior Mari Creatini broke the school scoring record with an overtime goal against the Terriers to give NU a heart-stopping 1-0 win. Priceless. Yet hardly anyone from the university was present to witness the desolate BU mugs.
I don’t care if it’s the men’s hockey team, or the NU hopscotch contingency, if NU kids are making BU kids cry, we should be there.
But the fact that the field hockey team, consistently ranked within the top 10 teams in the nation, can’t draw fans is mind-boggling.
They’re fresh off their third straight America East Conference tournament title, a 17-win campaign and boast the nation’s top scoring threat in Creatini. In fact, the Argentine native hasn’t just led the nation in scoring: She’s dominated nearly every major statistical category for eight straight weeks and currently leads the second-top scorer by eight points and three goals. In a few days, Northeastern will journey into the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 years, and came devastatingly close to the field hockey Final Four last season, losing to Michigan State in penalty strokes.
So, why no fans?
There is no excuse for NU students.
Want a team that has a legit shot at a National Championship? Want a team that has the swagger and confidence of a winner? Want a team that holds a decided advantage over the Evil Empire of BU? There’s only one place to get it on campus, and that’s field hockey’s Sweeney Field.
It’s not as if the games are played in Brookline like football and soccer, which gives NU followers an excuse to blow off the aforementioned teams. They’re played just steps away from NU’s swanky new West Village.
On top of that, the games are played in the afternoon, at times that most NU goers are free from the burden of classes and other responsibilities. And even worse than that, the games are free.
A free ticket to one of the nation’s top field hockey powers that’s just steps away from the doorsteps of Northeastern students. Now it all makes sense. There certainly shouldn’t be a packed place for these women to play. There shouldn’t be rabid “Dog House” – like fans jamming the sidelines on the Huntington Avenue grounds. That would make far too much sense.
The 2003 home slate of games is finished, but 16-year coach Cheryl Murtagh and the women are sure to be back pounding the league (and nation) again next year.
Check it out. Watch a game. Go crazy.
And hey, if you get lucky enough, you just might get to see BU girls shed a tear or two.
In the box: The men’s basketball team kicked off the year with a pair of exhibition wins this week. A promising regular season will begin on Nov. 21. Check out The News next week for a full preseason report card on the hoopsters.
– Jack Weiland may be reached at [email protected] He can be heard every Wednesday on WRBB 104.9 FM’s “Newstime” from noon to 1 p.m.
