Noise from the Northeast

The Boston University men’s soccer team stole the league ink this week. Its big win over the University of Connecticut has created a press vacuum for the rest of the week’s movers and shakers to settle in safely, free from the heightened expectations and scouting disadvantages that come with the media spotlight. It’s only fair they be exposed.

Knee-deep in non-conference tune-ups, four America East men’s soccer teams remain undefeated. The University of Maryland-Baltimore County stands out as the list’s most unlikely candidate.

Picked as preseason favorites to finish in the America East cellar by the league website, UMBC took its critics’ words personally on the way to a 3-1 upset on opening day over the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Virginia Tech, in front of 1,105 fans ‘- nearly three times BU’s opening crowd.

‘The ACC is, from top to bottom, the best conference in college soccer,’ BU men’s soccer coach Neil Roberts said. ‘The [Big East Conference] has some premiere clubs, but the quality is more watered-down throughout.’

America East Player of the Week, sophomore midfielder Andrew Bulls, scored a goal and added an assist for the Retrievers, who beat the Hokies at home for the first time in school history. UMBC rode the momentum of its marquee win to consecutive routes over St. Joseph’s University, 6-0, and the University of Delaware, 5-1.

While Retriever fans ran laps around Terrier Nation, the University of Hartford showed Aaron O’Neal, Michael Bustamente and company how to beat a University of Massachusetts-Amherst team BU could only manage to tie.

The Hawks kept junior midfielder Ben Arikian in check, limiting the Second Team Pre-Season All-American to a single shot, as senior goalkeeper Nenad Cudic shutout the Minutemen, 2-0.

The team picked to finish second to the Terriers, Binghamton University, countered with a Big East win of its own over Syracuse University. And although the University of New Hampshire dropped a pair, the Wildcats sandwiched a win in between over Bucknell University, whose freshman class is ranked 30th in the nation by College Soccer News.

Terriers grab national accolades

BU senior goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson and junior forward O’Neal garnered national attention for their play in two wins and a tie this week.

Davidsson was named to Soccer America’s Team of the Week after holding UMass to a single goal and then shutting out UConn and Providence College.

‘Against Connecticut he was very clean,’ Roberts said. ‘Anything that came onto his hands, he caught.’

Davidsson’s shutout against Providence College was the 16th of his career.

‘If Hrafn can learn to come out and make saves in a crowd, then he can become a professional goalkeeper,’ Roberts said. ‘If he doesn’t, he’ll be an engineer.’

Behind four goals in three games, O’Neal was named to the College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com’s teams of the week.

‘The guys have been setting me up real nice,’ said O’Neal, who has five points this year. ‘I just try to finish the best I can.’

His two goals in the 85th and 89th minute against UConn added security to BU’s 3-0 win. Against UMass, he came off the bench to assist senior Shaun Taylor’s goal, which allowed the Terriers to escape with a tie.

O’Neal has been shuffled around a little in his two plus seasons with the Terriers. He’s spent time in past seasons with the midfield-last year on the left side.

‘That’s a lot to ask from a right side player,’ Roberts said. ‘But he filled in well and set-up some good goals.’

He appears to have settled back in at forward.

‘Aaron’s biggest problem has been with confidence,’ Roberts said. ‘But over the last two games he’s been moving faster with clean touches.’

It’s a good sign for a player Roberts repeatedly quipped was ‘the best forward in the country,’ to his face, following the Providence game.

Maybe a little subliminal messaging makes all the difference.