Samuel Appiah exudes exciting soccer. From the minute he enters a game, the gifted midfielder can terrorize defenses with an assortment of weapons, including forceful shooting, lethal speed and precise passing.
The play of the Boston University sophomore is critical to the success of this year’s men’s soccer team (2-2-0), which travels to Allston today for a 1 p.m. showdown against No. 15 Harvard University (4-0-0). According to BU coach Neil Roberts, the Ghana native has turned a corner in his development.
“We knew Sammy would come along,” Roberts said. “It was a big adjustment for him last year, but he’s really starting to find himself and become dangerous offensively. He’s moving without the ball and finding people . . . I just think he’s getting better and better.”
The 22-year-old, an All-Rookie Team selection in 2006, scored two goals and notched six points last fall after playing for the University of Ghana in 2005-06. Following two forgettable games to start this season, Appiah regained his scoring touch in BU’s 4-0 rout of Fordham University last Friday, as he netted his first goal of the year.
“I think for us to be successful, Sammy’s going to have to be a force offensively and disrupt defenses,” Roberts said. “Without that, it’s going to be difficult. He can go at the seams, he can go at people one-on-one and he can strike the ball. The goal he scored in the Fordham game was a great goal with his left foot. He’ll have to do things for us as the year goes on.”
To the credit of Roberts and his staff, Appiah is just one of many promising Terrier underclassmen making contributions this season. Sophomores Jon Jonsson and Tom Strackhouse, along with freshmen Daniel Chu, Aaron O’Neal and Matt Shea, have tallied points in BU’s victories over Fordham and Northeastern University.
The accumulation of depth may not seem important early in the season, but the steady improvement of BU’s role players will go a long way in taking pressure off top scorers Neil Hlavaty and Petur Sigurdsson as the year progresses. Despite their welcomed impact play, Roberts doesn’t expect his rookies to contribute on a consistent basis.
“Aaron and Chu have really been pleasant surprises,” Roberts said, “and Matt Shea’s been starting the last few games [at forward] and doing a solid job. We’re probably throwing them in there before they’re ready, but they’re handling it quite well.”
Chu, the reigning America East Rookie of the Week, displayed his multifaceted offensive toolbox during a two-goal outburst against Fordham. The Irvine, Calif. native’s four points trail only Sigurdsson (5) for the team lead.
“He was in the right spot at the right time for a couple opportunities,” Roberts said. “But he finished them off well. What Chu does well is getting around the field, getting in spots for balls and finding people. He can also find seams in defenses with or without the ball. He’s going to be a good player.”
After last weekend’s encouraging efforts against Fordham and No. 8 Santa Clara University, the Terriers square off against another nationally recognized power in the offensive-minded Crimson, who feature a potent scorer in junior Michael Fucito (three goals, two assists). Harvard, which is winless against the Terriers since 1998, presents numerous challenges for BU goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson and his backline of defense.
“They’re very good offensively,” Roberts said. “They’ve got speed and a big guy up front [Fucito] who is a very good player. They’re a very legitimate team, certainly a top 10 or top 15 team.”
Despite the daunting task, Roberts, who thrives on scheduling challenging non-conference opponents, views every game as an opportunity for his team to further its development before the start of America East play next month.
“We’re definitely moving along,” Roberts said. “But obviously Harvard will present problems for us, and we’ll see how we deal with them. I think playing [tough non-league] teams is really going to help us, and once we get into conference, we’ll be where we want to be.”