Bound For New York

The Boston University men’s soccer team will look for its first road victory and conference win of the season tonight against Stony Brook University at 7 p.m. in Stony Brook, N.Y.
‘We’ve just got to continue to correct the mistakes that we’re making,’ BU coach Neil Roberts said. ‘There are a lot of good things that we’re doing, but we’re making some big mistakes and we’ve got to get better in a lot of areas in the game. It’s an ongoing process.’
After a disappointing 3-0 loss to the University at Albany at Nickerson Field last Saturday, the Terriers (3-5-2, 0-1-0 America East) must regain their focus in order to return to the win column. The team hopes to move forward after making costly defensive mistakes last weekend.
‘The style of play is not going to change [today]. We just hope to be able to do it a little better and a little quicker,’ Roberts said. ‘In the Albany game, we just didn’t play quick enough. We’ve got to be able to be better defensively.’
The Seawolves (2-9-1, 0-1-0) are mired in a six-game losing streak and have allowed 13 goals in their last four games. The Terriers will try to take advantage of the Seawolves’ recent struggles and spark an offense that has faltered on the road. BU has netted just one goal on the road this season and has been shut out in its past four away games.
‘It’s difficult to win on the road, but it’s a conference game and it’s a big game for us, especially after dropping the first [conference] game,’ Roberts said. ‘They’ve been playing conservative, but who knows what they’re going to do. We just have to be ready to deal with whatever comes.’
The Seawolves only have two wins, but their record is deceiving. In many ways, Stony Brook has had a similar season to that of the up-and-down Terriers. The Seawolves have lost six games by one goal, but have allowed five goals in their last two games.
‘They’ve been playing very defensively,’ Roberts said. ‘They’ve had some good games against some good teams. Connecticut scored on them late to win 1-0 and Akron won their game 1-0. But other games they’ve given up a lot of goals. They’re very hard to judge.’
Although the Terriers have been shut out five times this season, their offense has sparkled in numerous contests. In three of its past six games, BU has recorded four or more goals.
Junior Shaun Taylor leads the team in points and goals with 13 and six, respectively. Taylor’s goals include a hat trick against Colgate University Sept. 20 and a two-goal performance in the Terriers’ rout of Harvard University on Sept. 30. Taylor’s six goals are good for second in the conference.
Even after Saturday’s disappointing loss, the Terriers are trying to move forward mentally in order to start winning within the conference.
‘We’re trying to get our game together and trying to get comfortable with what we’re doing so we can get a run going,’ Roberts said. ‘That’s part of it. That’s being an athlete. You get setbacks, you deal with it, you correct things and you move on. I’m sure the guys will do that.’