For sports teams that seem to be an afterthought to the hockey and even basketball teams here at Boston University, both the Terrier men’s and women’s soccer teams have been making a lot of noise here lately, and not even in the ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it . . . ,’ rhetorical question sort of sense.
What has been proven by each of these respective teams over the past week is that maybe both the BU men and women have been underestimated and overlooked coming into the season, a sentiment that really speaks volumes considering both teams were the preseason conference favorites and the BU men began the season ranked as high as No. 23 in the national polls.
Beginning the season with relatively high expectations, the men’s squad has done anything but disappoint. An enigmatic 1-1 draw against a solid UMass program got the year off to a rather head-scratching start, but a mere four days later came a performance that has defined the season thus far.
This momentous triumph came in the form of a 3-0 road win against a Connecticut team that at the time was not only among the favorites to win the Big East, but was also ranked No. 12 in the polls.
The win put America East and the NCAA men’s soccer landscape on notice that this could very well not be one of the BU teams of old that won conference titles and made early exits come NCAA Tournament time, but something greater ‘- maybe even a team that presents a strong threat to make a run at the Final Four come December.
The team has undoubtedly been buoyed by some spectacular individual play, whether it be O’Neal’s four goals in the first three games, Bustamante’s three assists in the same period, or goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson’s two-consecutive clean sheets.
Production of this caliber will need to be maintained as the BU men face a very daunting few weeks ahead. Difficult games on the road against a very good Harvard team and at home against Green line nemesis Boston College are on the slate, but the game that caught my attention is a Sunday night contest at Nickerson against St. John’s, the pre-season No.1 team and one of the top programs historically in college soccer.
A loss or poor performance could be a lesson in humility and serve as an opportunity to reassess the goals for this season. However, a win, draw, or just a great showing in that game could justify the belief that a lot of Terrier soccer fans have right now ‘-‘- that this team has the potential for greatness.
The soccer discussion here at BU cannot be simply limited to the men, though, seeing as Nancy Feldman and the Terrier women’s team has kicked off their season in a similarly impressive fashion.
Just like their male counterparts, the BU women were chosen as preseason favorites to win America East, but again just like the men, they have exceeded these expectations with some stellar play against a challenging non-conference schedule. After recording 2-0 wins over Rhode Island and UMass, the team stumbled in a 2-0 loss to BC, which really isn’t all that egregious considering the Eagles are one of the top fifteen teams in the country.
The Terrier women are coming off of a benchmark accomplishment of their own, a scoreless draw on the road against No. 7 West Virginia. There are certainly those out there who scoff at the thought of a tie, equating it to kissing your sister, but in the case of this match, a tie is anything but. A tough road game against the No. 7 team in the country and managing to leave Morgantown with a draw? In the world of soccer, that can, and should, feel just as good as a win.
What truly stands out from this match, though, is one astounding statistic: the Mountaineers outshot the Terrier women 23-5. Think about that for a second. Try not to dwell on the fact that BU was overwhelmed on the stat sheet, but take a moment to recognize the efforts of the Terrier defense, particularly goalkeeper Janie Reilly. Twenty-three shots fired by a top-ten team and not one of them goes in the net? Now that’s something even a non-soccer fan can appreciate.
Unnerving schedules and the usual hurdles like injuries lie ahead for both teams, but just maybe these first couple weeks of games have given Terrier fans a glimpse of something ‘-‘- perhaps something that holds the promise of producing some remarkable and program-defining moments this season on the pitch.
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