Speed game

The No. 18 Boston University lacrosse team travels to Hanover, N.H. for an afternoon date with No. 9 Dartmouth College at Scully Fahey Field today.

The Terriers (5-4, 1-0) are coming off an 11-8 victory in the conference opener against Binghamton University. The Big Green (5-1, 2-0) is on a five-game winning streak after dropping the season opener to the University of New Hampshire, 9-8.

Last season, the Terriers defeated Dartmouth at Nickerson Field by a score of 15-8. However, looking at the Big Green’s record this season clearly shows they are not the same team as last season.

Dartmouth and BU have faced several common opponents, such as the University of Notre Dame and Yale University. The Terriers lost to both of these schools at home while the Big Green defeated both teams in impressive fashion.

Dartmouth handed then-No. 8 Notre Dame its first loss of the season in South Bend, Ind., by a score of 12-8. On Saturday, Dartmouth hosted Ivy League foe Yale and easily defeated them, 12-5.

The Big Green’s biggest win, however, came against No. 6 Syracuse University on the road. Dartmouth shocked the home crowd, winning 17-10 in a game where at one point they led by 10 goals.

It is easy to get lost in the big names that Dartmouth has beaten, but what is most impressive is the way the Big Green defeats their opponents. They have the ability to score a lot of goals during a game &- a 22-goal performance against the University of Vermont, for example. Through six games, they have averaged 14.33 goals per game, ranking 14th in the nation.

Offensively, the Big Green is led by junior Greta Meyer. Meyer is an all-around offensive weapon who leads the team in both goals with 15 and assists with 14. She is ranked No. 15 in the nation in points per game with 4.83. If the Terriers want to stay competitive against Dartmouth, they must limit Meyer to moderate numbers.

“We need to slow down the Dartmouth attack,” said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. “They are a physically strong and fast attack that knows how to put points on the board, and we need to have a good defensive day and really try to slow down their main scorers and have Rachel [Klein] play the kind of game she is capable of playing.”

The Big Green defense is even more impressive than its offense. Dartmouth is ranked second in the nation in goals allowed, with a mind-blowing 5.83 goals per game. Their most impressive defensive performance came in a 15-1 drubbing of Columbia University.

Much of their success on defense can be attributed to senior netminder Julie Wadland. The Andover native has a goals-against average of 6.06, good for second in the nation, and a .545 save percentage, which ranks fifth nationally.

“From the attacking stanpoint we need to try to win the draw control, and we need to attack the Dartmouth defense,” Robertshaw said. “They have a U.S.-caliber goalkeeper, and we need to make sure we test her often and really put some shots and see how many goals we can get on her.”

The Terriers’ offense has been disappointing this season, only averaging 9.33 goals per game, which ranks 72nd out of 91 teams, so they need to step up Wednesday afternoon if they expect to leave Hanover with a win.

“We need to take some shots. We need to take some risks and really go to the cage hard,” Robertshaw said. “It’s a challenge for us to put points on the board and that is something that we’re going to rise to the challenge the best we can.”

The Terriers were on the verge of losing their conference opener to Binghamton University after trailing 5-2 at the half, but four goals by senior captain McKinley Curro helped the Terriers leave with a win. Robertshaw is looking for the rest of her team to follow Curro’s example on Wednesday.

“Obviously, I am looking for Traci Landy to step up and have a big day,” Robertshaw said. “I’m looking for Danielle Etrasco and Xan Weitzel to have big games. I think Rachel Collins and Hannah Frey are all ready to step up and doing what I think they can. [They all need] to take that step and to take that leap of faith.”