Once upon a time, the Boston University field hockey team was 2-4, losers of three straight and floundering in its attempt to reach .500.
Now, the Terriers sit at 7-4, winners of five straight with the latest victory a 9-0 shellacking of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Saturday.
The nine-goal total was the most BU has scored since a 9-2 triumph against UMBC Nov. 1, 2003, and the nine-goal margin of defeat was the Terriers’ highest since an 11-0 blanking of the University of Vermont Sept. 29, 1999.
The Terriers are 2-0 in America East conference play. After the loss, UMBC is now at 1-10 on the season and 0-2 in the America East.
Junior and reigning America East Offensive Player of the Year Sarah Shute recorded the second hat trick of her career in the Terriers’ victory. Her three goals put her total for the season at nine, with her next-closest teammates tied at three goals apiece.
Shute also had an assist in the game, which puts her season total at four. She leads the Terriers with 22 points, and is the only Terrier in double-digits.
“Shute was outstanding,” said BU coach Sally Starr after the game.
UMBC almost netted the first goal of the game, when a shot resulting from a penalty corner in opening minutes rattled the post.
“They caught us on our heels,” Starr said. “I said we can’t give this team another corner. I liked how we turned it around.”
That shot would be the only one the Retrievers could muster, as the Terriers then dominated possession the rest of the game, tallying 22 shots to UMBC’s one and out-cornering them 10-1.
Goalkeeper Erin Prediger didn’t have to make a save in notching her fourth shutout of the year.
“We improved on things we worked on in practice-the passing game, and strikers getting in good position,” Starr said.
Redshirt freshman Haley Robinson got the scoring started for the Terriers, notching her first career goal in the seventh minute of play when she knocked a pass into the cage from just inside the right side of the circle.
Senior Amy Seaman doubled the Terriers’ total just a few minutes later, receiving a nice pass from junior Hadley Adams and knocking the shot into the net as she fell.
“The players sprawled out and got some scrapes,” said Starr. “It was good commitment.”
Three minutes later, Shute tallied the first of her three goals, tipping the ball past the keeper off a long corner. Robinson was credited with the assist.
“Those first three goals were awesome hockey goals,” Starr said.
The Terriers slowed down for a while, but the floodgates opened up in the 31st minute, when junior Pam Spuehler put in her second goal of the season.
After the break, it took the Terriers just seconds-39 of them to be exact-to find the back of the cage, when Shute deflected a pass from junior Sarah Hudak to earn her second goal of the game. Just under five minutes later, Hudak scored one of her own off a corner, three yards outside the left post. Senior Erin Calamari was credited with the assist.
Shute netted her last goal of the game four minutes later, taking a pass from junior Hayley Hamada and putting it in the corner of the net.
As the game wound down, sophomore Hayly Ross got in on the action, scoring the final two goals of the contest and the first two of her career. For her first, she collected the ball in a scramble in front of the goal, with the assist credited to Seaman. Ross posted her second goal just four minutes later, redirecting a pass from Shute to provide the final margin.
Starr was proud of the offense, which has struggled at times to score this season.
“We’re getting better,” she said. “It’s a process. This week in practice helped.”