ORONO, Maine —- For a moment, Boston University’s Dutch junior midfielder Hester van der Laan thought she had squandered a golden opportunity to supply the nation’s No. 20-ranked team with a win over Maine when she rattled her penalty stroke off the post to the right of Maine goalie Emily Corbett.
But referees Donna Chung and Judith Strong ruled that Corbett had moved before van der Laan took her stroke, so she received a second chance and converted by flicking her seven-yard stroke to Corbett’s right with 3:26 left in the first overtime for a 2-1 BU win.
Both teams are 3-1.
According to the rules, goalies must have both feet behind the goal line and they can’t move until the stroke is taken.
“I was a little surprised [to be given another chance],” said van der Laan. “I was so focused on the ball. But, in the end, I think it was a good call.”
“I’ll have to look at the footage again,” said Corbett. “I don’t think I moved forward. I was just rocking my feet.”
It was the reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week’s team-high third goal of the season.
“I practice them a lot. I always put it to the same spot,” said van der Laan, who created the stroke by racing free into the penalty circle off a perfect feed from Bea Baumberger Altirriba and being hauled down by a sliding Corbett.
“She had a really good pull around me,” said Corbett, who felt she had no choice but to take down van der Laan.
The Black Bears had the better of the play in the first half but couldn’t transform that dominance into a lead because of junior goalie Cammy Jensen, who made three important saves including one on a re-direction by Cassidy Svetek.
The rebound came back to Svetek, but the senior rolled the rebound wide of the half-empty cage.
“I just tried to stay as relaxed as I could,” said Jensen, who finished with four saves on 11 shots.
“Maine played an outstanding game,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “They’re a really good attacking team and they’re quick. When we were at a numerical disadvantage in the back, Cammy came up big. We managed the game a little bit better in the second half.”
BU took the lead midway through the second half when Rachel Coll slid the ball across the middle of the circle and Madeline McClain, one of three Terriers converging on goal, swept it into the empty net past Emma Cochran, who played the second half after Corbett had played the first half.
But the Black Bears equalized with 9:40 remaining when Danielle Aviani and Jessica Skillings worked a nifty give-and-go off a two-on-one, and Aviani chipped the ball over the helpless Jensen.
Aviani nearly won it with two minutes left in regulation, but her deflection off a Sydney Veljacic shot sailed inches wide of the far post.
“We had a lot of chances. It would have been nice to convert more of them. But we played unreal. It’s the best field hockey I’ve seen us play,” said Aviani.
BU also had 11 shots at goal with Corbett making three saves and Cochran stopping one shot.