The Boston University men’s soccer team controlled play for much of the first half of Tuesday night’s second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against No. 3 St. John’s University, but failed to make the one play that would result in a goal, dropping a 1-0 decision in Queens, N.Y.
That proved costly, as the tables turned in the second half and the Red Storm (17-2-3) relentlessly pressured the Terrier defense, creating one scoring chance after another. For a while, though, St. John’s was just as fruitless as BU (12-6-3).
With 7:40 remaining, Red Storm sophomore forward Sverre Wegge Gundhus took a pass from junior midfielder Nelson Becerra inside the 18-yard box and beat senior goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson with a low shot into the back left corner of the net. The goal proved to be the nail in the coffin of the Terriers’ 2008 season.
‘It was disappointing,’ BU coach Neil Roberts said of the loss. ‘We knew St. John’s was a good team and we knew this was a tough place to play. At times we were good enough to win, but we couldn’t quite pull it off.’
BU made a valiant last-ditch effort to extend its season, generating two quality scoring chances in the game’s final six minutes. In the 85th minute, freshman midfielder Michael Bustamante took a free kick from five yards left of the box and crossed it to the far side looking for postseason hero Jin Oh, but senior goalkeeper Neal Kitson was there to grab it.
With less than a minute remaining in the game, freshman midfielder Ben Berube sprinted from the midfield down the left flank and into the box. He ripped a left-footed shot toward the net, but Kitson, who leads the country in goals-against average and save percentage, made a diving stop. The ball squirted away momentarily, but he was able to corral it before charging junior forward Shaun Taylor could get there.
‘We had some chances at the end,’ Roberts said. ‘We got some numbers forward and got around them. The kids fought and battled until the end and they almost got one in the final minute.’
The Terriers appeared to be on life support throughout the second half. It felt as if it was only a matter of time before St. John’s was going to finish one of its many opportunities.
Less than two minutes into the final period, Gundhus recorded the Red Storm’s first shot on goal, but Davidsson made the save. Six minutes later, sophomore midfielder Ale Ivo, who recorded the only goal in his team’s 1-0 win over BU back on Sept. 12, broke loose on the left side and sent a cross into the box, but sophomore back Matthew Shea headed it away.
Halfway through the stanza, Becerra found the head of Gundhus with a free kick, but Davidsson was there again to keep the game scoreless. Five minutes later, Ivo again found open space on the left side and this time he elected to shoot. He had Davidsson beat, but the shot pounded the crossbar and was cleared out by BU.
In sum, St. John’s took 13 shots in the second half after being held to two in the first 45 minutes.
‘They put us under pressure,’ Roberts said. ‘We lost the midfield, so they constantly had numbers attacking. We just couldn’t possess the ball. [Becerra] and [sophomore midfielder Tadeu Terra] dictated the pace of the game.’
The first half was a completely different story. The Terriers not only got off to a fast start, but looked like a better team than the favored Red Storm, outshooting their opponent by a 5-2 margin. They didn’t look like an underdog, controlling the pace of the game and consistently pushing the ball deep into St. John’s territory.
‘I thought we played really well in the first half,’ Roberts said. ‘We came out and did what we wanted to do. We controlled things, we pinned them back, but we just couldn’t finish.’
Unfortunately, BU wasn’t able to do anything once it got to the box. The Terriers sent crosses into the box, but the St. John’s defense broke them up. They got open looks at the net, but failed to put a shot on goal until the 33rd minute.
BU’s inability to create quality chances near the net ultimately doomed the Terriers’ hopes of advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, as the Red Storm’s second-half dominance left the Terriers with few chances to even sniff the goal after the intermission.
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