Freaky Friday

Friday the 13th Haunts Terriers Athletics

by Jeff Cohen

November 13, 2009 was supposed to be a promising day for Boston University Athletics.  With four sports on the schedule, the action-packed day placed Terriers sports in the spotlight.  The Pat Chambers era began in New Rochelle, NY, as the America East men's basketball favorites faced MAAC foe Iona, a team the Terriers defeated 63-57 last season.  #17 men's hockey, who had lost three straight games entering Friday, had an opportunity to right the ship against a Merrimack team the Terriers had not lost to since February 12, 2004.  Women's soccer kicked off their NCAA Tournament run against a UConn team that BU dueled into overtime during the regular season.  The women's basketball team, coming off one of their most successful seasons ever, flew to  Kentucky to face a powerful Wildcats squad.

Unfortunately, all four of these games were scheduled on Friday the 13th, the most superstitious day on the calendar.  Sure, all four Terriers games were on the road and all four opponents BU faced were going to be challenging opponents, but lightning doesn't strike twice - let alone four times - in one day:

Men's Basketball: From a WTBU Sports standpoint, the experience at Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, New York was a spooky experience.  Because there was no available internet connection in the school's gymnasium - a rarity in our technology-driven world, our broadcast of the game was unsuccessful. One security guard patrolling the gym said, "It seems we're a bit more old-fashioned when it comes to [technology]." 

As frustrating a night as it was for WTBU Sports in Iona, it was even more frustrating for the team on the court.  The Terriers turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 28 Gaels points.  Handicapped by preseason injuries to Scott Brittan (concussion) and B.J. Bailey (concussion), the Terriers' bench was outscored 29-0.  The BU starters, due to the smaller bench, were limited by foul trouble down the stretch.  The Gaels shot 50% from three-point range, including a dazzling and uncommon rate of 57.1% (8-14) during the first half.  After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Terriers rallied to tie the score three times throughout the game, but could never overtake the home team.  Terriers lose 82-73.

Men's Hockey: The good news was the WTBU Sports broadcast of the game went extremely well (both the men's hockey and the men's basketball games used a new-age broadcast system called Simplecast).  The bad news, however, was that head coach Jack Parker's squad could not match up with a Merrimack team who had lost their last 15 games to BU.  The Terriers, the defending national champions and a squad known for pouncing on and attacking opponents, spent most of the night on the defensive.  Perhaps it was due to the cheering of the Merrimack home crowd, but the Warriors held the night's energy, scoring five goals in the final two periods.  After the game, Parker described the loss as, "Rock bottom," as BU has now lost four games in a row.  Terriers lose 6-3.   

Women's Soccer: After rolling through America East Tournament play, the Terriers punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.  Their first round game would be a challenge, as BU faced a UConn squad that defeated them in overtime earlier this season.  More haunting, however, was that this game would be played at Boston College.  To those aware of the BU-BC rivalry, it was clearly a bad omen.  BU held tough, and the two teams engaged in a defensive struggle.  Once again, this matchup would be resolved in overtime.  In the 108th minute, the Huskies scored the game's lone goal and the Terriers season came to an end.  Terriers lose 1-0. 

Women's Basketball: Heading into the season, it was a given that the road to glory would be tougher for this year's squad than last year's.  The Terriers lost their top four scorers due to graduation - Jesyka Burks-Wiley, Kristi Dini, Amarachi Umez-Eronini and Christine Kinneary.  Additionally, BU opened their season at the University of Kentucky, which is never an easy place to play.  The 11:00 a.m. start added a unique twist to the event, and it may have caught the Terriers off their game.  BU shot only 31.5% from the field and scored just 18 points inside.  Kentucky steamrolled to an early 12-2 lead before the Terriers regrouped and rallied to tie the game at 12.  From that point on, however, Kentucky rediscovered its shooting stroke and drubbed BU the rest of the way.  Terriers lose 92-58.

The good news?  The next Friday the 13th isn't for awhile.  Just be prepared when August 13, 2010 rolls around.