On a gray Sunday evening, the Boston University men’s soccer team rained down goals on the University of Rhode Island. The win at Nickerson Field was the Terriers’ first of the season.
After a difficult opening stretch, in which the team went 0-3-1 against four nationally ranked opponents, the Terriers were desperate for a victory.
“I can’t remember the last time we did not win a game in the first four games [of the season]. But I haven’t felt more confident about a team than [I do] with this group in a long, long time,” BU coach Neil Roberts said.
With the defense recording two shutouts in those four games, the Terriers proved they could compete with nationally ranked teams. The offense was sparse, however, netting three goals and being shut out twice in four games.
But offense was the story last night. Powered by an explosive second-half flurry, the Terriers scored three goals within seven minutes to go up, 4-0, and never looked back.
After an early first-period goal by junior Shaun Taylor in the sixth minute, the Terrier offense possessed the ball effectively. But when the team went into the locker room at the half, the score remained 1-0.
A halftime adjustment would make the difference. Roberts noticed the Rams’ defense was playing high in the offensive zone, and he knew his team was fast enough to get behind the URI backline and score.
“This is all you have to do. They did it. Game over,” Roberts said.
The first of the string of goals came in the 47th minute when sophomore Matthew Shea fed junior midfielder Tom Strackhouse, who then beat URI keeper Chris Pennock and planted the ball in the back of the net.
Strackhouse struck again 65 seconds later when he took a pass from sophomore Aaron O’Neal and shot it into the left back corner. Both times, Strackhouse had easily beaten the URI defense by executing Roberts’ adjustment.
“I just saw the ball go through the defense. I just ran after it,” Strackhouse said. “The first ball Matt Shea just played me in beautifully. I was thinking, ‘I can’t mess this up.’
“We said, ‘If [URI] does come high, all you need to do is send a midfielder through,'” Roberts said. “That’s why Tommy, the center midfielder, scored two goals. Forget about the forwards, just put the midfield through. He’s going to be all alone, and he’s just going to score. Tommy did a good job of that.”
BU shut the door when Strackhouse went through the defense and threatened with a shot that was stopped by Pennock. But the ball got away and senior Jin Oh found the back of the net for the fourth and final goal of the night.
Roberts’ change led the team to a well-deserved first victory last night. The team’s previous record of 0-3-1 was deceiving, as BU had a chance to win each game.
“The big difference was the guys in the second half, recognizing them playing high and flat,” Roberts said. “We said, ‘This is how you beat it,’ and they did it. This is why I like this group so much. They make adjustments at halftime. They do what you ask them. Some of the stuff we’re asking them to do is difficult and they try it, they work at it and they do it.”