Dating back to 2001, the Boston University men’s soccer team holds a 4-2-1 series advantage over University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Going into a weekend that will see the Terriers travel to UMass for just the third time in seven years, the marginal record bodes well for a team desperately looking to find its stride just a week before conference play starts.
But before you tack on a third straight win for the surging Terriers, it should be noted that all of BU’s four victories over the Minutemen have come at Nickerson Field.
“[UMass] has never been an easy place for us to play . . . ever,” said BU coach Neil Roberts.
Fortunately for the Terriers (4-3-0), Roberts has never entered Rudd Field with a more potent offense.
Since a 2-0 win over the Minutemen on Sept. 12, 1999, no Terrier team has ended the summer months boasting a higher goals-per-game average.
Through seven games, the Terriers have notched 13 goals while becoming the first team in program history to record three shutouts in one month.
“We’re continuing to work on everything, really,” Roberts said. “We’ve had a great week of practice, working especially on our possession and attack, and both look very good. We need to take that with us.”
Aside from their offensive output, the Terriers’ ability to gain possession will be a major factor Saturday. When they do, the Terriers develop a fluid tempo out of the midfield that allows for their upfront weapons, namely juniors Jin Oh and Petur Sigurdsson, to create scoring chances.
“Especially with UMass-Amherst, we need to make sure we hold onto the ball,” Roberts said. “They are a team that has a very fast attack and can turn on you quickly. We are going to see a lot of countering and second ball chances. Keeping the ball is how we need to handle that.”
If the Terriers are capable of holding the ball for at least half of the game, they will allow their defensive unit the opportunity to control the Minutemen’s relentless attack.
Leading UMass is junior forward Prince Ofosu, who trails sophomore midfielder Bryan Hogan and redshirt junior Douglas Rappaport by one point for the team lead. Ofosu’s agility and quickness keys the Minutemen’s offensive flow.
Serving as the team’s main threat upfront, Ofosu uses his speed to tail the defense’s last layer before cutting past it on a change of possession.
“The guy we’re most concerned with is [Ofosu] up front,” Roberts said. “He’s very fast. He’ll sit back a little bit and give you a chance to loosen up. You let him free and they let him go and he’s behind the defense.”
While the Terrier defense struggled through the late stages of September, the unit’s communication has improved dramatically since a 2-1 loss at Harvard University two weeks ago.
“They are getting better,” Roberts said. “The big thing for us is that we have to start committing less fouls and be a little cleaner. It’s definitely getting there. The guys are starting to understand their roles.”
As BU tries to put the pieces together, this past week of practice provided a glimpse of what BU can do when given the opportunity.
“UMass-Amherst is tough at home,” Roberts said. “It’ll be a good test for us. The guys will be ready. They’ve trained well and had a great week of practice. It’s time we put it to work.”