The Boston University men’s soccer team finished 9-7-4 in 2007, finishing third in America East and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. While this year’s team will be very different than last year’s team, the Terriers are aiming to improve their rank in the conference and return to the NCAAs.
BU lost leaders Neil Hlavaty and Derek Puerta, but the team has plenty of veterans and freshmen who can step in and get the job done. While the Terriers are building for the future, they are not rebuilding. A step backward would be a major disappointment for this team.
The trio of senior Jin Oh, junior Shaun Taylor and sophomore Aaron O’Neal returns to spark an offense that will aim to bring BU back to the NCAAs. Last year, O’Neal led the team in scoring as a freshman, netting six goals and four assists for 16 points en route to being named the 2007 America East Rookie of the Year.
Taylor was second in scoring behind O’Neal with five goals last year, and the hope is these two Terriers will continue their hot streak into this season. Oh played in all 20 games and earned four assists on the year. BU coach Neil Roberts expects all three of these playmakers to be the center of the attack for the Terriers.
“Their job is to score goals and create goals,” Roberts said.
The addition of freshmen Matt Pereira and Stephen Knox will only bolster the Terrier offense this season. Massachusetts native Pereira was a three-time Middlesex League First-Team All-Star and captained the team his senior season on his way to earning Middlesex League MVP, Eastern Mass All-Star team, All-State and All-New England honors.
Knox is currently a member of the U-20 National team and was the starting center forward for the Trinidad and Tobago U-17 National team during the FIFA U-17 World Cup. When all of these old and new Terriers combine, magical things should happen on the frontline.
The Terrier midfield has new faces and more speed this year. The leaders of the midfield are junior Samuel Appiah (3 goals-3 assists -9 points last year) and freshman Michael Bustamante, who was a three-time Commonwealth League MVP in high school. They will be in charge of leading the rushes up field and setting up the forwards.
“We need [Appiah] and Bustamante to get forward,” Roberts said. “They are both going to be distributors, but they have to be able to get the ball forward first.”
The Appiah-Bustamante duo will hope to replace the playmaking skills of Hlavaty, who left BU to turn pro. Hlavaty led the team in assists in 2007 with six and was tied for second in points with 12.
“Right now, we are using five midfielders,” Roberts said. “Bustamante has more of an attacking role, so you might have a hard time figuring out that he is a midfielder and not a forward.”
Another new addition is Ben Berube. The freshman played defense in high school, but was moved to the midfield because Roberts believes his speed and ball-handling skills will make him a good flanker.
Senior Jon Jonsson brings more playmaking skills and a defensive presence to the midfield. Jonsson started all 20 games as a back in 2007, scoring one assist, but made the shift to midfielder in the offseason because of his ability to serve balls into the box.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Shea (1-1-3 this season) and juniors Richy Dorman and Tom Strackhouse are expected to compete for playing time as the fifth midfielder. Dorman had one assist in 20 games last year while Strackhouse had a goal and an assist in 10 games.
“[Ryan Shea] is still learning the position, but he has had a good preseason and beginning of the regular season,” Roberts said. “Richy Dorman and Tommy Strackhouse give us a couple more holding guys.”
After graduating Puerta last year, the Terriers had some holes to fill in their backline. Roberts is asking senior Dan Schultz to step up and do just that with some help from sophomore Matt Shea and freshmen Colin Henry and Aaron Rosenberg.
Roberts expects the defense to “make teams create their own opportunities and cut down on goals against.” It is on Schultz’s shoulders to “control and organize the defense,” Roberts said. After starting all 20 games last season and earning Second Team America East honors, Schultz is more than ready to lead the young defense.
Joining him on defense will be Shea, who played in all of the Terriers’ games last season and earned a position on the America East All-Rookie Team. Henry, a four-time league All-Star and two-time league MVP in high school, and Rosenberg, a three-year high school captain, are bringing their skills to the Terrier defense as well.
In addition to these Terriers, Roberts said many players can be shifted around from position to position, allowing versatility and strength where the team needs them. Although junior Dorman is traditionally a midfielder, he can play strictly in the backfield if needed. Currently, Roberts has Jonsson playing the midfield, but he too can be shifted to defense.
“We’re looking for athletic kids that have technique, not just athletes with no technique,” Roberts said.
Senior Hrafn Davidsson is expected to see a majority of the minutes in net. He went 6-7-2 last year with an .805 save percentage. He has struggled out of the gate this year, however, posting a .615 save percentage after two games.
“[Davidsson] was pretty steady last year,” Roberts said. “He has been a little unlucky this year. There have been mistakes by our defense, a couple balls that were not cleared out, and one that deflected off a defender.”
Should Davidsson falter due to either poor play or an injury, junior Joe Cullaro is waiting in the wings. Cullaro started five games last year, accumulating a 3-0-2 record and .750 save percentage.