Every team sets high marks for itself when its players arrive on campus in August for preseason training. Following Saturday’s 0-0 draw against American University, that goal became a reality for Boston University men’s soccer team as it clinched the Patriot League regular season title.
With one game left to play still in the regular season against conference foe Bucknell University, the Terriers (11-3-2, 6-0-2 Patriot League) can go into the contest without worrying about other results and knowing their place in the postseason is secured. However, the team is focused and cognizant of the weight games bear at this stage of the season, said BU coach Neil Roberts.
“It’s good to have the home field secured at this point before the last game,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot going on though. We have an at-large bid we are in the hunt for and [Bucknell] will still be a big game for us. It’s not a game we can throw away by any means. The more wins we can get going into the final weeks the better.”
The 2014 season has served as a true turnaround for the Terriers, as they failed to even make the conference tournament last year. BU also secured the rights to host the Patriot League Tournament from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 as regular-season champions.
“It’s nice to be home,” Roberts said. “We get more time to train because we don’t have to travel and we are familiar with everything around us. It’s something the guys have worked really hard for so hopefully we can take advantage of it.”
Offense slows down
The Terriers’ offense has steadily been paced by the likes of senior forward Dominique Badji (seven goals, four assists), senior midfielder Jordan Barker (three goals, four assists) and freshman midfielder David Amirani (four goals, two assists) all season. The trio poses a legitimate threat to opposing defenses and has led the Terriers to a goals per game average of 1.47.
However, the game against American (10-3-3, 4-2-2 Patriot League) saw BU’s high-powered offense die down. The team was shut out for the first time in nearly two months since a 1-0 loss to Brown University on Sept. 7.
“It was just one of those days,” Roberts said. “We had our chances to get a goal, especially in the second half, but we just couldn’t get it. That happens sometimes, but I think we did much better in the second half than the first. We had open looks at goal, but we just couldn’t execute well enough.”
This lack of offensive output is a far cry from the Terriers’ usual form on the pitch. In fact, the Terriers have scored two or more goals nine times this season.
With this in mind, Roberts said Saturday is nothing but an anomaly and should in no way be an issue come the postseason, especially as players become fully healthy.
“We concentrate on getting as healthy as we can now and I am confident we’ll be able to score more,” he said. “With the time that we have in between games now we have to time to work on pretty much all phases of our game and be able to be a little sharper in everything.”
Thomson records eighth shutout
Much of the attention surrounding BU’s season has centered on the offense, but a large part of the Terriers’ success must be attributed to a certain player at the opposite end of the field.
Senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson has been stellar for BU, and Saturday’s game marked the eighth time this season that he has kept a clean sheet.
“Nick has had a great year, especially after the injuries he has had the last two years,” Roberts said. “It’s good to see him healthy and having some success. His ability to play his feet is really important to how we play. We can get the ball back to him and he’s comfortable with it, that’s a key to us. I’m happy for him and it’s obviously been a big part of our success this year.”
The recently named Capital One Academic All-District First Team player has put up a goals against average of 0.68 and a save percentage of .833. While these two statistics stand out, it is not as easy to measure the importance of Thomson for the Terriers.
His ability to stop shots seemingly destined for the back of the net, control crosses, command the back line and play with his feet have provided the Terriers with a great level of security at the back.
According to Roberts, Thomson’s great play in net will prove to be crucial when the Patriot League Tournament commences.
“The big thing going into the tournament is that defensively we are doing pretty well and it’ll be a key to success going into the knockout round,” Roberts said. “Nick has been a big part of that for us.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
