Southern Comfort

The Boston University field hockey team is officially on a roll.

Owners of a five-game winning streak after putting on a display of utter domination in Virginia, the No. 19 Terriers have nowhere to go but up in the national rankings.

The Terriers racked up a pair of 3-0 wins over Longwood University and the No. 15 University of Virginia to extend their current streak.

“I think it’s a really big weekend,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “We haven’t really had a quality win on the road for many years.

“With all the dynamics of traveling there’s a lot of stress and a lot of variables you can’t control on the road, and to come home with two wins and a real quality win [on Sunday], it really speaks to the maturity of this team, the competitive nature of this team and the talent on this team,” she added.

BU’s senior class scored five of the Terriers’ six goals on the weekend.

Senior forward Sarah Shute scored two goals on Saturday against Longwood and added the game winner on Sunday against UVa. Against the Cavaliers, it was fellow senior forward Hayley Hamada who earned the accolades for the Terriers, netting two goals of her own.

“[Experience] was definitely a key factor,” Starr said. “We’ve been in these situations before and they know what they need to do and they had the maturity and ability to stick to game plan. We were also able to be positionally flexible to take advantage of some mismatches and that’s a veteran team, being able to do those things.”

Battling unseasonably high temperatures all weekend, the Terriers displayed grit in rising above the conditions and disposing of their Virginian opponents.

Though they wrapped up two more victories, the Terriers’ play on Saturday against Longwood was what Starr called an “ugly win.”

In that game, sophomore midfielder Suus Dekker propelled the Terriers to a 1-0 lead in just the third minute of play before Shute added the two clinchers in the second half.

“We didn’t play particularly well, but the good thing is UVa didn’t get a good scout on us,” Starr said. “We got the win and we didn’t show a whole lot. We didn’t show any of our corners and everyone was able to play and keep our legs fresher.”

And those factors were especially important heading into the marquee matchup of the weekend at UVa on Sunday. Coming off a 2-1 loss to No. 10 Boston College on Saturday, the Cavaliers were looking to take their final game of the weekend.

But it was the Terriers who would have the final say, as they dismantled a strong Virginia attack to hold the Cavaliers scoreless.

“Virginia is a formidable opponent,” Starr said. “We just did a good job of sticking to the game plan, rising to the occasion, competing hard and being smart when we needed to be.

“Our defense was outstanding,” she added. “I thought UVa was a really good attacking team and to come home with a shutout was really a great accomplishment and we scored quality goals against them. It was a very good team victory.”

That defense was a recurring theme for the Terriers this weekend, as freshman goalie Kim Kastuk recorded a combined five saves to earn her second and third shutouts of the season.

Now with 10 games under their belts, this weekend proved to be just one more step toward the goals they’ve set for themselves this season.

“I think the team has good confidence but they aren’t satisfied,” she added. “They know they have the opportunity to have a very special year. The analogy is to keep the eye on the beacon. We’re not there yet we still need a lot of hard work, and they know that but they feel we’re moving in the right direction.”