Despite hosting the Patriot League tournament and impressing throughout the entire season, the No. 23 Boston University men’s soccer team could not claim an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as winners of the Patriot League this past weekend, falling to Bucknell University, 3-2, Sunday afternoon.
In order to put themselves in position to advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 2008, the Terriers (12-4-4, 6-0-3 Patriot League) first defeated the United States Military Academy 1-0 in double overtime Friday night.
BU struggled throughout the first half and for much of the second half, as it fought to work its way past Army (6-8-5, 3-4-2 Patriot League) goalkeeper Winston Boldt.
“The first half was not our best,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “Credit Army. They pressured us, made us uncomfortable. We adjusted at the half, and the second half and overtime was much better.”
Boldt finished with 10 saves on the night, fitting for the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year.
Meanwhile, BU goalie Nick Thomson only had one save throughout the game, largely because BU’s staunch defense knocked down shots before they could get to him.
Despite the strong play in each goal, it was ultimately senior forward Dominique Badji that sent the Terriers to the final via a header with just 1:06 remaining in the double overtime period.
The goal came on an impressive cross from senior midfielder Cameron Souri that found Badji for the header. It was Badji’s eighth goal of the season and Souri’s first assist.
“I just remember we had it in the middle, and we played it out wide,” Badji said. “That’s what we were trying to do all game long. We really weren’t able to do it first half, but that’s a designed play. Cam hit a beautiful cross to me. I did the easy part. That goal is all Cam.”
Going into the second game of the tournament Sunday afternoon against the Bison (10-9-3, 4-3-2 Patriot League), Roberts quelled the thought that the 110 ten minutes of action Friday would interfere with the Terriers’ ability to perform on Sunday.
“We can’t worry about that [fatigue]. It is what it is,” Roberts said. “We have whatever we have, and we have to go with it. It wasn’t that cold. It was more cold for you than for them.”
However, it was this very fatigue that doomed the Terriers in the Patriot League Tournament final.
The Terriers came out with little energy in the match’s early goings, and Bucknell pounced on BU’s hesitation and reactionary play to great effect.
“They put us under pressure in the first half, got the goal and arguably could’ve gotten more,” Roberts said. “You have to give [Bucknell] credit. They play with a lot of energy and a lot of the times took the game to us.”
In the 12th minute, the first solid opportunity for either team arose when BU’s normally stout backfield surrendered its first of many chances to Bucknell’s star forward, Jesse Klug. He struck a one-time volley off a cross from the left side, which forced Thomson into a strong save and opened the floodgates for the Bison.
In the 23rd minute, it was Klug again who threatened the Terriers’ goal, as he latched onto a loose ball in the 18-yard box and fired right into Thomson’s onrushing body.
Klug’s persistence and high pressure ultimately paid off when he broke the scoreless deadlock in the 32nd minute. He found the ball 30 yards from goal, dribbled past senior defender Kelvin Madzongwe and confidently placed the ball into the far-side netting to put the Bison ahead 1-0.
This served as a much needed wake-up call for the Terriers, who from there on out picked up the intensity and set the game on a back-and-forth path. Roberts said this didn’t suit the Terriers, as they struggled to get control of the match and dictate the tempo and action on the pitch.
“You don’t really like when it goes back-and-forth because you never have control of the game,” he said. “We usually don’t give up many goals and haven’t been chasing or down much this year, so it was difficult to keep coming back. To our credit, we did a good job of getting the goal each time. It’s just tough and disappointing. The guys fought, but we never really had control of midfield.”
In the 51st minute, the Terriers’ newfound approach found dividends by way of senior midfielder Jordan Barker, who finished off a beautiful sequence with a header inside the near post. It was Souri who was the provider, as he beat his marker on the dribble and sent an inch-perfect cross to Barker.
However, the Terriers once again fell behind to Bucknell, as midfielder Sebastiaan Blickman eluded several markers and sent home a strong header in the 54th minute past a motionless Thomson. Uncharacteristically for the Terriers, they once again found themselves in a hole and were struggling to emulate their normally strong defensive form.
“We played as well as could back there,” Roberts said. “Like all year, we didn’t want to change things up. We wanted to plug guys in and keep with our system. Obviously, we gave up three goals, which is a lot for us.”
Despite the setback, the Terriers were once again able to climb their way back into the contest when junior forward Lucas McBride headed home a patented left-footed cross from freshman defender Bjarki Benediktsson in the 70th minute.
However, it was another header from Blickman that ultimately sealed the Terriers’ fate and decided the game in overtime. He rose high yet again to glance a header into the side netting in the 92nd minute and send his team to the NCAA tournament. This goal came as a shock to Roberts and the rest of the team, as it came off a free kick that was against the run of play.
“We thought that when we got it to 2-2, we were in pretty good shape, but we gave up another free kick out of nothing,” he said.
Now, with the opportunity to gain automatic entry to the NCAA tournament behind them, the Terriers have to play a waiting game. On Monday afternoon, the NCAA Tournament Committee will decide the field and, like many other teams throughout the country, the Terriers will be dependent on an at-large bid.
“It’s going to be tough,” Roberts said. “With some of the results that happened over the weekend, it’s going to be really hard for us to get a spot. There’s been a lot of upsets in the conference tournaments, meaning teams that would not have gotten in are now in. We just have to wait and see.”
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.
