After three straight road losses to open the season, the Boston University men’s soccer team returns to the friendly confines of Nickerson Field for the first time since last season in hopes of enjoying its first win of the year.

After three consecutive trips to hostile territory against teams ranked in the national Top 10, the Terriers (0-3) return home to start a six-game homestand with a quiet confidence inspired by the knowledge that they could have ended the trip with a 2-1 record.

“Playing against nationally ranked teams has gotten us ready to play anybody,” said BU senior co-captain Brian Conway.

Against No. 1 Indiana University and No. 6 Boston College, BU had a number of chances, leading the Hoosiers with only 75 seconds left and hitting the crossbar against BC in a 2-1 loss.

The streak of contests against Top-10 teams will end Saturday when the Terriers take on the undefeated Stags (1-0-2) of Fairfield University.

And while it was easy for his team to focus on big games like BC and Indiana, BU coach Neil Roberts said Saturday’s matchup would go a long way in showing his team’s mental toughness.

“It’s easy to get up for games against BC, [the University of] Notre Dame and Indiana,” Roberts said. “If we’re a real team, we’ll play consistently every game.”

So far this young season, the Terriers’ only consistency has come in the second half of games, with all three of the team’s goals coming in the last 45 minutes of play. Junior transfer John Cooper netted a goal in the 84th minute against BC to cut the Eagles’ lead in half, but in the end, the Terriers were unable to net the equalizer.

The BU offense has struggled to take advantage of good scoring chances. Against BC, the Terriers hit the crossbar and had a certain goal cleared off the line by Eagles sophomore defender Sam Brill.

A remarkably tough schedule hasn’t helped the scarlet and white attack, with the squad facing three top tier goalkeepers to start the season. When the Terriers broke through against BC, it marked the first goal scored against BC sophomore goalkeeper Issey Maholo in nearly three games.

With only three goals in three games, the BU attack is still searching for its identity early in the season.

“I don’t think it comes down to the [opposing] goalkeeper,” Roberts said. “It’s about making chances. Shots do matter, saves don’t matter. Most saves come from 30 yards out, anyway. You need to create quality chances because that’s what’s important.”

Defensively, the Terriers have been solid, although both Roberts and sophomore goalkeeper Chad Comroe described the two goals allowed against BC as “soft.” The BU back line is the youngest part of a young team and is going through the standard growing pains.

Conway said he’s pleased with the younger players’ development, and he also pointed to the contributions of transfers like Cooper and sophomore defender Paddy Ferritier.

“Everyone plays simple,” Conway said. “The freshman all play as part of a team. Nobody’s out there trying to do his own thing. Cooper and Ferritier transferred in and immediately became leaders.”

Both Conway and Roberts said the club was in pretty good shape after a rough game against BC, with players on both sides going down and occasionally leaving the field.

Roberts said he wouldn’t be certain until Friday but thought that the team was “in pretty good shape.” Conway echoed his coach, saying there were only a few of the standard muscle strains that players routinely play with throughout the season.

Conway, however, added that freshman midfielder Miles Dunn had his nose “readjusted” and Roberts mentioned “a few visits to the hospital.”

With the team’s home opener only hours away, Roberts said he was excited about returning to Nickerson Field for the first time since a 3-0 loss in the first round of the America East playoffs to Northeastern University last season.

“I hope there’s a good crowd,” he said. “I know that BC had almost 1,500 people, and Indiana had 4,000 people. It’s very important to be at home in familiar surroundings.”

For Conway and the rest of the players, the return home will be nice and the fan support will be a welcome change of pace, but he maintained that the team is preoccupied with only one goal.

“We’re ready for a win,” he said. “Everyone’s really disappointed we haven’t gotten one yet.”