Field Hockey Opens 2026 Season at Boston University

Match: Dartmouth (0-0) at Boston University (1-1) – Sunday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m., Boston, Mass.
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HANOVER, N.H. - The Dartmouth field hockey team opens its 2026 season and begins a new chapter for the program on Sunday, traveling to Boston to face Boston University at 1pm.

A New Era Under Klinkradt

Sunday's opener marks the collegiate head-coaching debut of Jason Klinkradt, hired in April to lead the Big Green. A native of East London, South Africa, Klinkradt has coached on three continents and been part of more than 1,000 competitive matches at the school, collegiate, national and international levels. He spent nine years as head coach and technical director of the YMCA Hockey Club in Dublin, Ireland, and served as an assistant coach for Ireland's Senior Men's National Team and a support coach for Ireland's Senior Women's National Team in the buildup to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Before arriving in Hanover, Klinkradt spent time as an assistant coach at Old Dominion, Delaware and James Madison, helping Delaware to a conference title along the way. He holds a Master of Science degree in sport performance analysis from the Institute of Technology, Carlow, in Ireland.

Scouting The Terriers

The Terriers enter Sunday at 1-1 under first-year head coach Sarah Shute, having opened the season with a 7-2 win over Merrimack before falling 3-2 at Providence. BU is averaging 4.50 goals per game on an .243 shooting percentage and has generated 18.5 shots and nine penalty corners a night through two matches.

Sophomore Lucy Johnson has paced the Terriers' attack out of the gate with four goals and a team-high eight points on 11 shots on goal. Bella Bergner (two goals), Jenna Park (a goal, an assist and a game-winner) and Alex Purcell (three assists) have also factored into BU's scoring. In goal, Sophie Ortyl has started both matches, posting a 2.50 goals-against average and a .667 save percentage in a 1-1 decision.

Players to Watch

Dartmouth returns a core senior group from last season's team. Ella Bowman led the Big Green in scoring in 2025 with five goals and five assists for 15 points, adding two game-winning goals and going 2-for-3 on penalty strokes. Lucia Campaño and Amelie Luessmann each also found the net five times, with Luessmann's five goals coming on an .778 shots-on-goal percentage. Riley Dumigan chipped in a goal and a team-high-tying three assists for five points and a game-winner of her own.

On defense, Ruby Walsh led all Dartmouth field players with seven defensive saves a year ago, and Katherina Cohen, Gemma Franco and Georgia Thornton all return after seeing regular minutes in 2025. Between the pipes, senior Kylie McKinley appeared in eight matches last season, going 1-3 with a 3.77 goals-against average and a .674 save percentage, and figures to compete for time in net as the Big Green break in a new coaching staff.

Dartmouth added five new additions, all in the class of 2030, each looking to make an impact for the Big Green.

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