Few things in sports rival the first taste of victory in a young season, as the Boston University lacrosse team can now attest to.

The No. 17/20 Terriers knocked off No. 16/14 Hofstra University, 14-10, on Saturday at Nickerson Field to earn their first win of the year. BU (1-1) raced to an 8-1 advantage in the first 18 minutes of play before holding off a second-half run by the Pride (1-1) to avoid back-to-back home losses for the first time since 2002.

“I’m excited about it,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw, who notched her first victory as a head coach. “It’s my first win, but also the team’s first win . . . we can definitely sleep a little easier now.”

“It’s great,” said junior captain Lauren Morton. “Especially coming on our home field . . . I’m excited for the freshmen.”

Early in the season, first-half scoring has emerged as a strong suit for this Terrier club, evidenced by a 16-8 goal advantage through two contests. BU took a 9-3 lead into intermission Saturday on the strength of a Sarah Dalton hat trick. The sophomore midfielder racked up four goals and an assist.

The Terrier defense also played well through the first 30 minutes, led by goalkeeper Jenna Golden, who collected eight total saves. BU’s defenders, who forced seven turnovers, managed to slow the Pride offense by cutting down passing lanes, minimizing scoring chances against Golden.

After being replaced by red-shirt freshman Rachel Klein in last week’s season opener, Golden took a big step toward solidifying her role as the team’s starting goaltender with Saturday’s performance. The junior netminder played a stellar first half, allowing just three goals and turning aside six shots.

“She did a great job,” Robertshaw said. “She was very disciplined and made some really clutch saves.”

“She stepped it up right from the start,” Morton said. “We have a lot of confidence in her back there.”

Golden’s counterpart, Hofstra junior Maisie Osteen (four saves), was pulled early in the first half after yielding eight BU goals in a span of 11:10. Rookie goalie Mary Cuddihy replaced Osteen, allowing six scores over the final 48:50 of play.

But the move did not alter the Terriers’ aggressive offensive approach.

“We did notice [the goalie change] right away,” Robertshaw said. “But we had a game plan going in regardless of who was playing.”

“It’s something you try to notice,” Morton said of opposing substitutions. “We definitely tried to go after them right away and pepper [Cuddihy] with shots.”

In similar fashion to last Saturday’s loss to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Terriers took a lead into halftime before faltering in the second frame. The Minutewomen doubled up BU, 8-4, in second-half scoring last week, and the Pride followed suit on Saturday with a 7-5 edge over the final 30 minutes. Senior midfielder Becky Thorn tallied a hat trick in the second session to lead the Hofstra attack.

Robertshaw said the alarming trend of second-half meltdowns through the first two games must be righted quickly.

“It’s inexperience on our part,” she said. “We’re playing not to lose once we get a [first-half] lead. We’ll continue to tweak our defense a little bit to work through those runs [by opponents in the second half].”

Dalton’s scoring prowess was matched only by Morton, who scored five times and dished out an assist, adding to her team-leading point total through two games (9). Freshmen midfielders McKinley Curro and Tracy Landy also chipped in with two-goal efforts.

But the pair of Dalton and Morton has emerged as a bona-fide scoring duo in just two weeks of action, and their contributions to the team extend beyond the stat sheet.

“[Dalton and Morton] not only score goals, but they’re also leaders on the field,” Robertshaw said.

BU’s sharp improvement between its first and second game was evident on the field, but the progression also stemmed from a change in the team’s approach.

“There was a mental change from last week,” Dalton said. “We couldn’t go in expecting to win without playing hard.”

“The players definitely upped their intensity,” Robertshaw said. “We need to understand that you’re never guaranteed a win.”