Field hockey ready to begin easier half of schedule

When the No. 11 Boston University field hockey team takes on the University of Vermont Friday, it will be taking its first tangible steps toward defending the America East title that it earned in 2009. As non-conference play comes to a close, the Terriers will be looking to use the experience they gained against some tough NCAA opponents to best the rest of AE.

The Terriers' (6-3) success this season has earned them the 11th spot on the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I Poll and, more importantly, the eighth spot on the recently published RPI standings. Both placements are the highest given to any team in AE and make BU the team to beat in the conference.

<strong>Roller Coaster of a Season</strong>

BU has arrived here after a series of ups and downs. The Terriers opened the season with five straight wins, the best start in team history, and were still enjoying the celebration that came with their fifth win when a 1-0 shutout loss to Northeastern University brought them back down to Earth.

As good as the Terriers looked shutting out then-No. 7 Boston College 2-0, they simply couldn't find the back of the net against the Huskies two days later, when they lost their first game of the season despite outshooting their opponent 23-4.

That game seemed to develop a theme that has stuck with the Terriers ever since. In each of their last four games, BU has outshot its opponents but has only come away with one win. A drought in scoring led to two one-goal losses, including the loss to NU, and a 6-1 clobbering at the hands of then-No. 5 Michigan State University.

Having scored three goals in their last four games, the Terriers will look to jump-start their offense in conference games. The fact that the Terriers are dominating games, as far as shots and forced penalty corners go, by a greater margin in their last four games than in their first five is a positive.

If the Terriers can continue to pound the opposition's defense with shots and make good offensive decisions, they are bound to quench their thirst for goals in future games.

<strong>Strength of schedule</strong>

The caliber of the teams BU has faced so far this year is immense. So far, the Terriers' opposition has a combined .584 winning percentage.

Even teams like No. 20 Old Dominion University, whose 4-6 record looks rather pedestrian, have not been pushovers. In fact, the Terriers lost their most recent contest to ODU, 1-0. Beneath the surface, the Monarchs are one of the most decorated teams in NCAA field hockey history, and the fact that all of their games have been against top-20 ranked foes makes their record a moot point.

It is clear that the Terriers' opponents so far have been some of the best in the sport, but why did BU take the hard route instead of simply decorating their non-conference slate with pushovers?

The answer is that it is always easier to go from stiff competition to less stiff competition. The experience that the Terriers have gained in facing top teams will be invaluable now that conference games are beginning.

Fairfield University, another member of AE, has played non-conference opponents so far with a combined winning percentage of .304. They will have a much harder time adjusting to more difficult competition in AE games than the Terriers will.

<strong>Save percentage can be deceiving</strong>

The Terriers' defense is one of the best in the conference. Their posted goals-against average of 1.22 is first in the conference. However, one statistic can be misleading on the defensive end of things &amp;- save percentage.

Senior and sophomore goalies Amanda Smith and Julie Collins have split time between the posts for the Terriers this season, with Smith getting the occasional full game in net. It may seem a bit surprising that Smith bottoms out the AE ranking for save percentage with a .632 mark. However, it is important to remember that much of the defensive credit for a team needs to be given to its defenders in the field.

Looking further into the statistics reveals that Smith has only 12 saves on the year while allowing seven goals. The rest of the starting goalies have many more saves than her.

This is a result of a good defense standing in front of Smith. In most cases, the only shots to get through to her all year have been shots that have gotten by an already stellar back line. Those shots are much harder to save, and although Smith has saved 12 of them, seven have gone for goals. Therefore, Smith remains one of the top goalies in the conference because she has seen fewer, harder shots than almost anyone else, while still maintaining the lowest team GAA.</p>