Soccer, Sports

Men’s soccer prepares for conference match versus Lehigh

Senior midfielder Jordan Barker scored his second goal of the season Wednesday against Holy Cross. PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/DAILY FREE PRESS
Senior midfielder Jordan Barker scored his second goal of the season Wednesday against Holy Cross. PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/DAILY FREE PRESS

The Boston University men’s soccer team will look to continue its winning streak when it takes on Lehigh University Saturday night in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Both the Terriers (7-2-1, 3-0 Patriot League) and the Mountain Hawks (6-4, 2-1 Patriot League) have started their Patriot League schedules on a high note. BU has won its first three league contests, while Lehigh has posted strong wins over American University on Sept. 27 and Bucknell University Saturday. As such, the teams sit first and second, respectively, in the Patriot League standings.

“They’re a good team,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “They’re playing good soccer. I don’t care how many games we’ve won. We don’t look past anyone, especially not them. They’re second in the league. They’re right behind us actually. We look to continue in first place, one game at a time. And we’ll look to do that against Lehigh next.”

BU extended its unbeaten streak to six games with a 1-0 win over the College of the Holy Cross Wednesday. It was another tremendous effort by the defense, as the backline recorded their fifth shutout of the season. As has been the case throughout the season, senior goalkeeper Nick Thompson led the way, posting five saves. Thomson leads the Patriot League in save percentage (.850), while recording 34 saves and only allowing six goals.

“What can I say?,” Roberts said. “I think I’ve said it enough. It feels like every game [the defense is] saving us. Nick has been amazing this year. Sure, he hasn’t had to make many saves, but he’s made the ones that count — the ones that win us games. But it’s been a combined effort from the whole defense. It’s really been fun to watch.”

The Terriers mustered just enough offense Wednesday, as senior midfielder Jordan Barker scored on a free kick in the 44th minute, just before the first half ended. BU is in the middle of the pack in the Patriot League in terms of offense, ranking fifth in assists (13), goals (13) and points (39). One of the team’s few bright spots has been senior forward Dominique Badji, who ranks second and third in the Patriot League in shots (46) and goals (5), respectively.

On the other side of the ball, the Mountain Hawks are coming off their first Patriot League loss of the season against Lafayette College Wednesday. The Leopards (4-5-2, 1-2 Patriot League) scored in the sixth minute to take a 1-0 lead. Lafayette continued to dominate, and eventually scored another goal in the 55th minute in the 2-0 win.

Offensively, Lehigh is paced by forward Jamie Luchini, who is putting up numbers similar to Badji. He is third in the league shots (43), fifth in goals (4) and sixth in total points (10). He also has a flair for the dramatic, beating Bucknell (6-6, 2-1 Patriot League) on a free kick in the 89th minute Saturday.

Freshman Doyle Tuvesson has also had a solid season thus far, recording one assist and one goal in Lehigh’s first three Patriot League games. His play goes beyond the stat sheet however, as he has created an abundance of scoring opportunities so far this season for his teammates. The dynamic duo presents quite the task for BU’s backline.

“We know what [Tuvesson and Luchini] can do,” Roberts said. “They’re both dynamic. They both can make plays. But we won’t play to defend certain guys. We play our defense pretty much the same every game. We have confidence we can stop anyone.”

More Articles

When I'm not crying about another Geno Smith turnover, I am covering sports for The Daily Free Press. I am a New York Jets, Mets and Knicks fan, so I do not know what winning is. Please, have mercy and follow me on Twitter at @MannyGomezz

Comments are closed.