Jack Attack

The University of Vermont has been the Boston University field hockey team’s nemesis all season long.

But Jack Barry Field has been everyone else’s.

The Terriers will have a chance to avenge its only conference loss of the season at noon today, when it meets the Catamounts in the first round of the America East tournament at Jack Barry Field, where the Terriers have lost just once all season.

The Terriers fell to the Catamounts earlier this year, 2-1, in double-overtime when Vermont sophomore forward Maegan Luce knocked in a rebound in the 94th minute of the contest. At the time the loss threatened to knock the Terriers out of the race for the regular season conference championship, but thanks to a four-way conference tie, the women were still able to emerge this year with a share of the regular season crown.

“If there’s a silver lining to that loss to Vermont up there-it has us more motivated than what you would normally be to get this game back,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “It’s an opportunity to redeem ourselves a bit.”

The top-seeded Terriers got a bit of an unlucky draw, as Vermont fell to fourth in the final weekend of the season. After BU’s victory over the University of Maine last Saturday, all Vermont needed to do was beat the University at Albany in Burlington to emerge as the top seed and tournament host.

Instead, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Great Danes left Vermont with the fourth spot, but a matchup with the only team in the tournament they have defeated this year.

“It’s wild the way it worked out,” Starr said.

Now the Catamounts must come in to Boston and play the Terriers on their home turf, where BU has lost just one game all year and is 17-2 over the last two years.

“Home field has definitely been advantageous this season,” Starr said. “It’s definitely good to be home. We’re very happy. It’s great to sleep in your own beds, and it’s definitely an advantage to be home. Another thing is that this time of year you don’t want to go to Vermont or to Maine.

“But a hockey game is still a hockey game,” she continued.

BU will have a tough time keeping that stellar home record in tact against the Catamounts. Vermont comes into the game with confidence after its double-overtime victory earlier in the season.

“I think they got confidence in their win against us, which they haven’t been able to do for a while,” Starr said.

If BU wants to emerge with the win, it will need to shutdown the Catamount offense and be weary of their counterattack.

“I see this as a game where we really have to work hard to keep the ball in our attacking zone and control the play,” Starr said. “We can’t give them transitional opportunities. We don’t [want to] give those strikers space and time to be as dangerous as they can be.”

Those strikers will be the key to Vermont’s game plan. The Catamounts have the two highest-scoring strikers in the conference in junior Danielle Collins (18 goals, 45 points) and Luce (17 goals, 42 points).

“If you look at the conference statistics, it’s almost like Vermont, Vermont, Vermont,” Starr said. “Collins has crazy statistics and she’s an outstanding player for them. Last year I thought Vermont was one of the best attacking teams in the conference, and they returned all of those players.”

Starr is hoping that her team will play better this time against the Catamounts. Unlike in the regular season, a loss now will end the Terriers’ season.

“I don’t think Vermont played an excellent game that day and I don’t think we played-particularly in the first half-to our capabilities,” Starr said. “There were things in overtime we could have done differently. We had some corner opportunities, and we’ve made some changes there.

“If we play 70 minutes and we come out with good team energy and play the way we’re capable of playing, I think we can be successful,” Starr continued.

If the Terriers can emerge with a victory, they will play the winner of the Maine-Albany game scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today. That game will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. But for now, the Terriers are focusing only on the Catamounts.

“I anticipate an excellent hockey game,” Starr said. “I really respect Vermont and they’re an excellent team. We’re both fast-paced teams so it should be a fun game to watch.”