The Boston University men’s and women’s soccer teams kick off what promises to be a grueling and rewarding season this week, as both squads look to return to the form that has propelled them to national prominence over the past few seasons.
Picked to finish second in the America East preseason coaches’ poll, BU men’s soccer head coach Neil Roberts said this week he is confident this year’s team is ready to open the season strong.
‘We were a pretty young team last year, and I think we are more mature this season,’ Roberts said. ‘We also grew up a lot in the offseason. We are more aware of the pitfalls that lie ahead.’
Those pitfalls could come in the first two games of the year. The Terriers open the season on the road, taking on the University of South Carolina (11-8-1 last season) before returning to Nickerson Field for a home game against Boston College, the No. 13 team in the country.
‘Games against BC and South Carolina can help down the line when we are looking for a tournament spot, and they can really help your season if you can win against them,’ Roberts said.
To beat the Eagles, BU will have to play better than it did in last season’s cross-town matchup, as No. 21 BC beat No. 9 BU, 2-1 in Newton. The game broke BU’s four game winning streak, a stretch that included a shocking 1-0 upset of then-No. 7 University of Connecticut. That victory catapulted BU into the top 10 in national polls, setting up the huge game against BC.
But it was really a tale of two seasons for the BU men last year. The Terriers began the campaign 4-1-1 against non-conference opponents before finishing 4-5-2 the remainder of the season, mostly against weaker conference foes. This year, BU will have to start strong again, as the non-conference schedule is jammed with national powers.
‘We play two very good teams that are in the national spotlight,’ Roberts said. ‘South Carolina is more of an attacking team than BC but we need to be alert defensively, and we need to be as sharp as we can early in the year.’
After the Gamecocks and Eagles, BU plays the next six games on the road against teams like the Georgetown University and Oregon State University. There is also a rematch with Connecticut in Storrs.
WOMEN TRY FOR TURNAROUND
The women’s soccer team looks to rebound from a difficult 2002 season that saw the Terriers fall from the top of the America East for the first time since the end of 1999. It was also the first time since 1997 that BU failed to make the postseason conference tournament. The addition of seven freshman might help, but head coach Nancy Feldman will look to upperclassmen like Rebecca Beyer and Lauren Ciccone for goal scoring the team’s Achilles heel last season.
‘We have some added weapons,’ Feldman said. ‘We are going to have to be grittier and more aggressive.
‘Even with all the newcomers, our program is at that point where we never feel like we have to reload for a year,’ Feldman said.
BU jumps right into the 2003 campaign as the season opens with a battle against cross-town rival BC on Aug. 31. Last year’s game was a stunning win for BU, as the Terriers shocked the Eagles, 2-1, at Nickerson Field in October.
Like the men’s team, the BU women were picked to finish second in the America East in the preseason coaches’ poll, a ranking Feldman said she was expecting.
‘I don’t think our expectations would be for people to put us at No. 1 after the season we had last year,’ she said. ‘Hartford is the reigning conference champion and until someone knocks them off [they should be No.1].’
After the BC game, BU travels to the Rocky Mountains to complete a home-and-home series with Colorado College before playing in the George Mason Tournament against the host school and the University of Delaware the following weekend. BU’s first home game comes on Sept. 17, when the University of Massachusetts invades Nickerson Field for a non-conference affair.
But first on the docket is the crucial game against BC, a game that may set the tone for the fresh season to come.
‘I think our team is going to respond well,’ Feldman said. ‘I feel confident that our team will come out well and play hard.’
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