Entering the 2011 season, the Boston University men’s soccer team, with explosive offensive talent like seniors Ben Berube and Stephen Knox returning, was expected to boast a dynamic offense, one capable of racking up goals and lighting up scoreboards along the way.
And while the Terriers (9-7, 5-1) have struggled to find the back of the net for much of the season, against the University of New Hampshire Wednesday night they found the degree of offensive production they have been missing for much of the season en route to a 3-0 win over the Wildcats (6-8-2, 1-3-2) at Nickerson Field.
On the same night in which BU took sole possession of first place in the America East Conference standings, it also notched its first three-goal effort of the season.
With just one regular season game remaining, the offensive spark was better late than never for BU head coach Neil Roberts and his team.
“It is good to score some goals, especially because they are a tough team obviously to score against and they have had our number for a while,” Roberts said. “So it is good to be able to score goals and I thought for the most part we had control of it in the second half.”
Entering the game as winners of six of their last eight games, the Terriers got the proverbial ball rolling early as they launched a quick onslaught of shots on the UNH defense.
In the game’s 32nd minute, the persistent offensive pressure paid off as freshman forward Dominique Badji hit a soft shot at UNH goalkeeper Travis Worra, who bobbled what was a slippery ball, allowing it to cross the goal line and break a scoreless deadlock.
While Roberts noted that Badji’s goal was far from picturesque, it came as a result of a determined offensive effort.
“If you throw things on net things will happen – that is what we have to do,” he said. “I’m sure the keeper wishes he had that one back, but the ball was wet and it was on target.”
Badji’s fifth goal of the season, which places him in a two-way tie for the team lead, stood as the only goal of the first half.
Just three minutes into the second half, the Terriers doubled their lead as Berube received a pass from senior midfielder Peter Mehlert and slipped a ball by Worra.
The goal from Berube, who led the team with eight goals last season, was just his second of the season, with his first coming in BU’s 2-1 victory over the University at Albany Saturday.
Having been plagued by injuries for a fair portion of the season, Berube said that it has been good to get back on track and regain his 2010 form.
“It has been a rough season for me, just with injuries since I have had a few different injuries, and it leads to other things like fitness and the mental aspects of the game,” he said. “I have been getting used to the injuries and the mental aspects, and I feel a lot more comfortable on the field, scoring and just doing better in general.”
Knox finished off the scoring with a goal in the 80th minute that firmly put the game out of reach and secured BU a win on its Senior Night, a night in which seniors accounted for two of the team’s goals.
For the game, the Terriers outshot the Wildcats 21-10, a margin that included an 11-0 advantage in the first half.
The BU defense, which has allowed just two goals in the past five games, held firm, with freshman goalkeeper Nick Thomson tallying four saves on the night. The shutout was BU’s fifth of the season and its fifth in the last eight games.
With just one game remaining before the America East Tournament, a road contest at Binghamton University, Roberts and the Terriers know there is still a lot to be accomplished before the team can win the conference and make it back to its first NCAA Tournament since 2008.
“We are in first place by ourselves and we have one game left to play – we can still finish first or third,” Roberts said. “The bye is not secured and first place isn’t secured and we have one game left to play. We have been doing well on the road and we are going to a place we haven’t had a lot of success.
“Today we were playing against a team we hadn’t had a lot of success against and we did well there. We went to Harvard and had a lot of success there. I think we will be ready to play on Saturday, get our three points, and win the league.”
Staff writer Kevin Dillon contributed to this story.
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