The Boston University men’s soccer team’s inconsistency continued yesterday, as it dropped a 1-0 decision to Northeastern University at Parsons Field.
“The result was disappointing, but it was a good test for us,” BU coach Neil Roberts said. “There were a lot of circumstances we weren’t used to, and we didn’t meet any of them. They worked harder than we did, they pressured harder than we did and they defended better than we did. Their forwards were better than our backs.”
With the loss, the Terriers fell to 2-4-2 on the season, while Northeastern improved to 2-2-3 with its third straight shutout. The setback marked the end of BU’s three-game unbeaten streak.
The Terriers made a feeble attempt to get on the board in the first half with only two shots on goal. Despite the Huskies’ four shots, however, the teams entered halftime with the score deadlocked at zero.
But the Huskies returned to the field with intensity, recording what would be the deciding goal three minutes into the second frame. Senior midfielder Lewis Ehrlich played the ball to freshman forward Mike Kennedy, who beat a Terrier defender and put the ball into the back of the net.
“It was an individual effort,” Roberts said. “It was pretty much the whole game: the one-on-one battle they won and we didn’t. It happened all over the field.”
The second half saw more evenly matched play, with the Terriers and Huskies each recording seven shots. But the Terriers were shut out, and Kennedy’s goal proved to be the game-winner.
“It’s just a matter of doing well and being prepared to play,” Roberts said. “There’s no real secret to it. We weren’t focused and we paid the price for it. Hopefully, we can know that no matter who we play, we have to be focused and ready to play. You can’t let someone outwork you.”
The Terrier offense has been shut out in four of the last six games. Two of those games, however, have been 0-0 draws. In two other games, the offense recorded four goals. Roberts said the Terriers’ problem is that they haven’t put away chances in close games.
“That’s soccer. Games are always going to be close. You’ve just got to find a way to win the close games. Try to find a way to not make mistakes and be consistent and play well,” Roberts said.
The Terrier defense, anchored by senior goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson, has been stellar over the past six games. Davidsson has only allowed two goals over that stretch, and his seven saves yesterday tied a career high.
The Terriers have a week off before hosting Harvard University on Sept. 30. The team will use the break to rest and re-examine its progress. After Harvard, BU’s schedule consists entirely of America East opponents.
“The coaches are going to use this time to re-evaluate where we are and what changes we have to make to get into the conference,” Roberts said. “There have been a lot of good things that we’ve seen over the past few weeks and there have been some things we have to get better at.
“We’re very young. Midterms are coming up and guys get colds. It’s just things that we’re going to have to learn to deal with. That’s part of college sports, so hopefully we’ll get better at it.”