In its final home game of the regular season, the Boston University men’s soccer will have one last chance to do something it hasn’t done all season – win a conference game at home.
In three America East Conference matchups at Nickerson Field, the Terriers (6-6-3, 2-1-3 America East) are winless at Nickerson Field, putting up a 0-1-2 record.
“[The home record] means we’ve been doing well on the road,” said coach Neil Roberts. “You know, we can’t figure it out either. It’s not just one thing. There are a bunch of different reasons. We still need to go out and take care of business.”
And Saturday’s contest against the conference-leading University of Baltimore-Maryland County will be the toughest home game for BU this year.
The Retrievers (8-4-3, 5-1-0) currently sit atop the conference with 15 points. Stony Brook University is in sole possession of second with 13 points, but after that, it gets a little crowded.
The next five teams, which include BU with nine, are separated by a total of three points, although the University of Vermont – tied for third with 10 points – has only one conference game left, while the other top seven teams all have two.
“We need a win in the next two games,” Roberts said. “Mathematically, we could be in with the points we have, or we could be out. A win definitely puts us in the [America East] Tournament. We feel we need three points to guarantee a spot.
“The first goal is to get in [the tournament] and go from there.”
Only an undefeated conference road record of 2-0-1 is keeping BU in the thick of the race for a conference playoff spot. At home, the Terriers have squandered games against teams that aren’t even in the playoff race.
BU tied the last place University of Maine, 1-1, and next-to-last University of New Hampshire, 0-0, and after playing home games against the two worst teams in the conference, BU had only two points to show for it.
For the Terriers the strategy going into Saturday’s game in easy: score goals. And while the strategy is easy, the execution won’t be so simple. The Retrievers feature freshman goalkeeper Steve King, whose miniscule 0.46 goals-against average is best in the America East. For a BU squad that averages barely more than one goal per game (1.01), any and every goal will be at a premium against a stifling Retriever defense.
“At this time, you need to be able to win 2-1 or 1-0,” Roberts said. “That’s the style of play in this conference.”
Regardless of the outcome, the Terriers won’t be able to point to fatigue as a factor – the team’s coming off of a full seven days of rest, their longest rest stretch this year.
“It’s definitely helped,” Roberts said. “The guys were tired. It couldn’t have come at a better time.”
BU will look to extend its five-game unbeaten streak against a UMBC squad hoping to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since the first week of September.
On Oct. 26, Lehigh University left Maryland with a 1-0 win, ending UMBC’s 28-game home winning streak. Prior to that loss, a red-hot Retrievers team had lost only one of its previous 10 games.
Led by senior defenseman Marcus Gross, the Oct. 24 America East Player of the Week, and King, the reigning conference Rookie of the Week, UMBC has relied on its suffocating defense to take command of a conference in which the Retrievers were picked to finish third in the preseason poll.
“The conference [table] is so tight right now,” Roberts said. “UMBC has played themselves into a great spot. It’s a credit to them. Beyond UMBC, everybody has a shot [at the playoffs].”
When the Terriers faced UNH, they had expected the Wildcats to come out roaring, since the squad needed a win to stay in the conference playoff picture. The offensive charge never came as the two teams played to a scoreless tie, and now, with BU’s final two games against two of the top conference teams, Roberts said that the Terriers will need to press the issue early.
The coach also said he wouldn’t announce which junior goalkeeper – Zach Riffett or Chad Comroe – will start against the Retrievers until Friday, although Riffett has started each of the last four conference games and five of the last seven
Roberts also said that senior midfielder Jamie Johnson has shown “no indication” of returning to the lineup. Johnson was sidelined with an injury against Boston College on Sept. 4. At the time, Roberts said the co-captain might return toward the end of the season.
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