Tough Comm-ute

The Boston University men's soccer team heads into the weekend slate featuring two non-conference opponents, with the first of those games taking them on the familiar five-mile trek along Commonwealth Avenue to take on rival No. 13 Boston College at the BC Soccer Complex on Friday night.

The team is coming off a weekend in which it split two road games against Big East competition, defeating Seton Hall University 3-1 Friday and falling 2-1 against No. 20 St. John's University on Sunday.

A different sort of test, however, will be presented to the Terriers (3-1-1) as they take on a BC (2-0-2) team that has been ranked as high as number five in the nation.

Additionally, the Terriers have struggled mightily against BC over the greater part of the past decade, having dropped nine of their past 10 games to the Eagles, including last season's 1-0 loss at Nickerson Field.

"It's disappointing because we think in the last three or four years, we've played very well against them and we've made mistakes that they punished us for," said BU coach Neil Roberts. "In games like this, you've got to limit your mistakes because really good teams will take advantage of them."

BC, under the guidance of 22-year head coach Ed Kelly, pose a very balanced threat, one that is dynamic both offensively and defensively.

Eagles sophomore goalkeeper Justin Luthy currently sports a 0.68 goals-against average playing behind a stout defense that has only allowed three goals in its first four games, with one of those matches being against No. 7 University of Maryland.

In the offensive third, the Eagles are led by midfielder Conor Fitzpatrick, who leads the team in goals (two) and points (four). Other notable offensive players for BC include Israeli striker Amit Aburmad, forward Charlie Rugg and midfielder Kyle Bekker.

"They're very athletic and explosive up front," Roberts said.

BC returns 15 players from their 2009 team that finished 14-9-0 and made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before bowing out against Drake University.

The Terriers will be forced to play on Friday without freshman midfielder Derek McCaffrey, who was given a red card for a hard tackle in the loss to St. John's.

On Sunday, the Terriers will return to Nickerson Field to take on Brown University.

A mainstay on the BU soccer schedule for the past several years, the Bears (2-0-2) have played the Terriers to draws in their last two matches, including a high-octane 3-3 tie last season in Providence, R.I.

At this juncture in the season, Brown has been buoyed tremendously by the stellar play from its backline and its goalkeeper Paul Grandstrand, a unit that has not yet allowed a goal through its first four matches.

Up top, Brown first-year head coach Patrick Laughlin will look to forward Sean Rosa and junior Taylor Gorman, the team's co-leaders in goals with two apiece. Among those setting up the attack will be forward Austin Mandel and midfielder Thomas McNamara, each of whom lead the Bears with two assists.

For each of the games this weekend, the Terriers will look to build on what was a very balanced attack in their two games in the tri-state area, games in which BU's four goals were tallied by four different players. Senior forward Aaron O'Neal was among the scorers, netting his team-high fourth goal of the season.

Playing efficiently and capitalizing on opportunities will be a key factor for the Terriers in these coming games, especially considering that BU actually outshot St. John's 21-11 in the 2-1 loss last Sunday night.

Perhaps what will be most important for a successful weekend for this Terrier team is not the ability to dazzle spectators with their footwork or to score at will but rather their ability to limit mistakes and not shoot themselves in the proverbial foot.

"It's kind of like last weekend, we've got two very good opponents," said Roberts. "We're going to have to play extremely well and not create opportunities for the other sides."