Men’s soccer looks to bounce back from UNH loss at Hartford

The No. 15/16 Boston University men’s soccer team travels to Connecticut on Saturday to take on the University of Hartford at Al-Marzouk Field at 7 p.m.

Hartford (4-5-2, 1-0-1 America East), picked to finish fifth in the America East this season in a coaches preseason poll, has been outscored, 13-11, so far this season. That is exactly one goal per game on average for the Hawks.

Though Hartford has racked up impressive efforts against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Vermont, the Hawks have also given up losses to the likes of Central Connecticut State University and Hartwick College.

Compared to what the Terriers have done this season, those statistics should not be intimidating in the least.

BU has outscored its opponents, 20-9, in 12 games. The Terriers have played well in all of their toughest games against ranked opponents and escaped one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation with a 6-2-2 record. They have recorded six shutouts behind solid efforts in goal from senior Hrafn Davidsson, ranked among the nation’s elite in goalkeeping.

That said, the Terriers (7-3-2, 1-1 AE) should have nothing to fear when they travel to Connecticut on Saturday.

However, recent events have told BU fans otherwise.

The Terriers lost to the University of New Hampshire Wednesday in a shocking 2-1 upset that spoiled both a five-game unbeaten streak and all of BU’s momentum heading into America East Conference play.

Disappointment with the Terriers’ play on Wednesday is warranted. The Wildcats went into that game with a 3-5-1 record and had been outscored by opponents 10-8. BU, on the other hand, had scored 19 goals and allowed eight, all while shutting out over half of their opponents.

BU coach Neil Roberts was tight-lipped about his team’s play, giving a simple answer to their troubles.

‘They were better than our guys on the flank,’ Roberts said. ‘They got us into one-on-one battles and beat us that way.’

But the Terriers’ struggles against unranked opponents stretch even farther back than that. BU started its season with a 1-1 tie against University of Massachusetts-Amherst. No cause for concern at the time: UMass plays in the respected Colonial Athletic Conference. However, the inability of the Terriers to finish on good scoring chances was a cause for concern.

Against Harvard University on Sept. 11, visible cracks were starting to show in the Terriers’ performance. While the Crimson has turned out to be a very good team, ranked No. 8 in the country, BU had a perfect opportunity to take the win. But again, the Terriers did not finish on scoring chances and looked frustrated on offense.

The next week, the Terriers would defeat then No. 1 St. John’s University, a win that catapulted them into national contention. Five days later, BU lost to unranked Boston College, a nationally televised game and one the Terriers should have won.

All of this implies that the Terriers have a tendency to coast through certain games while giving others more importance. The BU team that could coast through the America East and make a solid run at the NCAA Tournament showed up against St. John’s and the University of Connecticut, but the BU team that looked uninspired and frustrated was the one that played BC.

Still, the Terriers remain a legitimate favorite in the conference. The Terriers have some of the best talent in the nation. Sophomore Michael Bustamante has shown moments of brilliance on the field: no-look passes, agility, speed and now goal-scoring. Bustamante’s solid performance against UNH went unaided, however.

‘He worked hard but nothing came of it,’ Roberts said.

Before Wednesday, senior Samuel Appiah scored seven points in two games. Junior Aaron O’Neal lit up the scoreboards in the beginning of the season, having scored seven already in 12 games.

The Terriers have plenty of talent. Learning how to harness it has yet to come, something that BU needs to do if it wants another shot at the NCAA title this season.
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