The No. 19 Boston University men’s soccer team has a good opportunity to recharge an offense that has cooled since the season’s start when it hosts the College of the Holy Cross at Nickerson Field this Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Terriers (4-2-1) have scored just two goals in their last four games. However, BU’s winning goal against Columbia University (1-4-0) on Sunday was an own goal; a Columbia defender mishandled a shot attempt from senior midfielder Tom Strackhouse and sent it flying over his own goaltender’s head.
The last time the Terriers scored a goal without help was Sept. 13 against then No. 1/No. 4 St. John’s University. BU’s effort against St. John’s was epic both offensively and defensively, leading to an upset of a club College Soccer News considered the best team in the country.
In the wake of the win, the Terriers faltered against cross-town rival Boston College, losing 1-0 Sept. 18. They followed the loss up with a poor showing against Columbia, though they did come away with the 1-0 victory in the end.
The Terriers started hot, scoring seven goals in their first three games, one of which was an upset victory over then-No. 12 University of Connecticut.
The Terriers have kept pace with their opponents in the offensive zone. But against St. John’s and UConn, they were able to finish.
Over the weekend, BU outshot its opponents 24-21-a narrow margin-but one that shows the Terriers are putting forth a good effort on the attack.
The Terriers’ stiff defense and goaltending play has shored up many of their weaknesses on offense. BU is 27th in the country in shutout percentage, blanking opponents 57 percent of the time.
Senior goaltender Hrafn Davidsson earned nine saves over the weekend. His .903 save percentage is the 14th best in the country. The Iceland native is also ranked 16th in the country in goal against average with a .415 mark.
But BU coach Neil Roberts doesn’t think numbers are completely telling.
‘It depends on how teams play,’ Roberts said in reference to Davidsson’s goal against average. ‘I think Hrafn is a very good goalie. Once he’s more comfortable in a crowd and coming off his line, then he can be a big time goalie. He makes big time saves.’
The Terriers should be able to rebound against a Holy Cross team (1-4-0) that has dropped four of its first five games. The Crusaders’ first game was a 1-0 loss on Sept. 5 to Providence College, who BU defeated in a 3-0 massacre Sept. 7.
The statistics weigh heavily in BU’s favor to pull out a victory against Holy Cross. The Terriers have scored nine goals so far this season, while the Crusaders have posted just three in five games.
Holy Cross trails its opponents in shots on goal, 48-69, whereas the Terriers have the advantage, 93-90.
Despite this, BU cannot afford to overlook the Crusaders, especially considering the Terriers’ only two losses this season are against unranked opponents.
The Crusaders can count on senior Thomas Booth in goal. Booth started all of Holy Cross’s games last season, recording seven shutouts and recording a career-high 76 saves.
Holy Cross is also bolstered by the return of junior Kyle Miller. Last season, Miller led the team in goals with nine and had three game winning goals.
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