A Finishing Touch

The Boston University lacrosse team rolled through its final roadblock before the America East Championship yesterday, defeating No. 19 Dartmouth College, 15-10, at Scully-Fahey Field to stretch the Terriers' winning streak to 11 games.

The No. 8 Terriers (14-2) flexed their muscles against the Big Green (7-7), scoring the game's first five goals. As BU prepares to hunt down its fourth straight conference championship, the Terriers continue to blow by opponents with a high-powered attack and suffocating defense.

With a tough road contest against a nationally-ranked opponent just two days before the beginning of the conference tournament, a letdown was certainly possible. Instead, the Terriers benefited from a four-goal effort from junior Sarah Dalton -- who leads the team with 53 on the season -- to put away Dartmouth and clear another hurdle as they prepare for this weekend's tourney.

"[The winning streak] is a credit to this team and the fact that they focus so much on every game. We're not thinking about winning streaks. We're thinking about the game we play that day," said BU coach Liz Robertshaw. "If we can continue to do that, I think we have some good things ahead."

BU traveled to Hanover, N.H., yesterday having never won at Dartmouth, including three straight losses in which the offense failed to reach double digits in goals. Entering the game leading America East with a gaudy .490 shooting percentage, the attack broke down sophomore goalkeeper Julie Wadland and the Big Green defense to register its ninth 15-goal performance this season.

"It wasn't easy. We'd never won up there before," Robertshaw said. "From an attacking standpoint I thought we had a really nice transition, good ball movement and we were pretty good with shooting."

The Terriers continued their trend of starting games off strong by punching the back of Dartmouth's net five times in the first 10 minutes. Dartmouth managed to keep the game within reach until the end, but eight different Terriers found the back of the net, helping to fend off the resilient Big Green. Senior co-captain Lauren Morton chipped in three goals, while sophomores Xan Weitzel and Traci Landy each scored twice.

A high-scoring offense has been BU's top weapon all season, bolstering the aggressive defense that was on display again yesterday. Redshirt sophomore goalie Rachel Klein finished her first regular season as a starter with one of her best efforts, keeping the Terriers ahead by stopping 11 shots, including eight in a close first half that had BU up 8-5 at the break. Klein's emergence as a defensive stalwart has been a key reason the Terriers were able to secure the best record in America East and climb the national rankings this year.

Dartmouth attacked the Terriers with strong one-on-one challenges in the first half to work its way through the defense. Klein was able to keep her team in front and allow her teammates time to handle the oncoming rushes.

"I wouldn't say that was our best half of defense, but in the second half we adjusted well. The girls doubled better and were more aggressive in finishing their plays," Robertshaw said. "Those things made it very hard and frustrating for the Dartmouth attackers."

Yesterday's win added another boost of assurance to a Terrier squad already playing with its fair share of confidence. Players on both ends of the field stepped up in a game that could have easily gone the other way.

"It showed me the girls can come up with goals when we need it, come up with big saves when we need it and pull out victories against a team that you know wants to beat you," Robertshaw said. "With every fiber of their being, Dartmouth wanted to beat us."

That will be the case in the America East playoffs, where Robertshaw expects BU to have a target on its back. The Terriers are comfortable in that position, and know they can use it to their advantage.

"We're going to make sure we continue to attack other teams," Robertshaw said. "Dartmouth wanted to come out and attack us. We put it right back in their face and put them on their heels."