Freshman midfielder Rachel Blauner’s strong debut

In a match crucial to the team’s postseason chances, the Boston University field hockey team seeks to break a two-game losing streak against the University of Massachusetts Tuesday in Amherst.

Both teams are seeking redemption from a losing streak. BU (5–2) recently lost to both The College of William & Mary and to No. 2 Syracuse. UMass (3–4) has lost three consecutive games — the first to No. 3 University of Maryland, the second to American University and the third to No. 7 Northeastern University.

BU, for one of the first times this season, will enter the match knowing much better what it is going up against. All the other teams it has faced have started their seasons with relatively easy opponents, giving impressive statistics little meaning. However, UMass, while lower in rankings due to a losing record, has been playing high-ranking teams such as No. 17 Boston College and No. 4 Maryland almost exclusively.

After reviewing the Minutewomen, the Terriers do not expect an easy win, but they are certain they are capable of pulling out another victory on the road.

“With this game we want to get back into a winning mentality, a positive mentality,” said BU head coach Sally Starr.

One of the major threats UMass has is its presence on the attack. Its current point leader, senior midfielder Kim Young, leads her team in assists (two), shots (17), shots on goal (12) and goals (four). Young’s most important statistic, though, is not her conversion, but her accuracy. With 17 shots, she maintains a 70.6 shots-on-goal percentage.

The Minutewomen play well in the backfield as well. Despite having recently accumulated a losing record, goalkeeper Sam Carlino still maintains a 63-percent save rate with 29 saves.

As for BU, the offensive focus lies on no single player. Attacking is divided almost equally among the entire team. Senior Jacinda McLeod leads the team with four goals, but four others are just below her with two goals apiece.

The Terriers have thus far gained their advantage in the attacking third not through accuracy but through sheer opportunities generated. McLeod alone has 26 shots attempted, and the team as a whole averages just fewer than 13 shots a game.

While the BU offense does generally control the ball for the majority of their games, its defense plays well very consistently when needed. Both goalkeepers, sophomore Valentina Cerda Eimbcke and senior Jess Maroney boast high-save percentages — 80 percent for Cerda Eimbcke and 79.2 percent for Maroney. The coaching staff sees only one real area of defense worthy of serious focus.

“Counter-attack defense is something that we continue to work on,” Starr said. “We haven’t given up a lot of goals this season, but the few goals that we have given up … have been when we had the ball in our attacking third and we [were] caught on a counter-attack.”

These two teams last played on Sept. 23, 2011. The Terriers walked away with a 3–0 shutout win, again away from home and after a loss. In the 2011 season, the Terriers have won four of their five away games. UMass has yet to win a match at home this season.

Despite the recognition of the similarity between last year’s result and this year’s situation, the mental side of the game did not play an enormous role in the Terriers’ preparation. After her team’s demonstration of psychological resilience in last week’s loss to William & Mary, Starr spent the time between matches improving primarily technical skills and off-ball movement to be as ready for game to come as they could.

“[UMass is] playing really good hockey — they’re competing. They have had quality wins. They have a very good defense and a very good attack. They play with a lot of speed and enthusiasm,” Starr said. “I’m expecting a war.”