Looking to rebound from an uncharacteristically mediocre 2009 season, the Boston University men’s soccer team was looking for a shot at redemption throughout this entire season, a chance to prove that 2009 was an anomaly for what has been the premier team in the America East conference for much of the past two decades.
With a dominating 4-0 win over Binghamton University, the Terriers accomplished the all-too-important first step on this redemptive journey by clinching the AE regular-season title, insuring not only a crucial first-round bye in the conference tournament, but also home-field advantage throughout the event.
For BU players and coaches alike, all the preparation and training from the outset of the season was aimed at a straight-forward, three-goal approach: win the regular season, win the conference tournament and look for the success to continue into the always unpredictable NCAA Tournament.
“It’s good to host. That’s our first goal to get the bye, and we accomplished that,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “Our next goal is to obviously win the tournament, make the NCAA tournament and advance in that.”
Winning a league title is an impressive feat regardless of the conference, but the Terriers’ AE run this year has been particularly impressive for several reasons.
Having to compensate for the graduation of players like midfielder Samuel Appiah, goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson and midfielder Richy Dorman, the Terriers were a reconstructed team in 2010, a team that would need important contributions from a highly touted freshman class that would have to accept newfound roles on the squad.
The brilliant cohesion of veteran players and emerging freshman talent like midfielder Vicente Colmenares and defender Kelvin Madzongwe has helped put the team in the enviable position it currently enjoys.
Additionally, BU has proven to be a team that can overcome adversity in grandiose fashion &- something evidenced by the team’s romp over Binghamton, playing just four days after a crushing 2-1 overtime loss at University of New Hampshire. Earlier in the season, the Terriers were mired in a three-game losing streak only to respond immediately with a six-game winning streak that vaulted them atop the conference standings.
“We knew we were going to have some bumps, but I think they adjusted well to it,” Roberts said. “We didn’t get too down about it.”
The integration of a resilient mentality on a young team has proven to be a catalyst to the Terriers’ winning ways &- something that Roberts jokingly acknowledged could be problematic at times.
“This is what athletes do,” Roberts said. “They mess up, but then they’ve got to go back the next day and correct it and move on. They’re a young group, so sometimes it’s frustrating for the coaches because they seem to get over it too quickly.”
Looking forward, Roberts does not anticipate sitting any starters or deviating from his normal strategy for the Terriers’ home game against University at Albany on Saturday, the final game on the conference slate. With an overall record 10-4-1 and an RPI ranking of 34th, BU is still in the hunt for an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, increasing the magnitude of each remaining game.
“It’s good to have it locked up early,” Roberts said. “But you want to give yourself the opportunity to get two ways into the tournament and we’re very, very close to that.”
For this particular BU team, the stakes and aims are clearly set beyond a conference regular season title.
Complacency certainly is a four-letter word going forward as the Terriers look to accomplish season-long and even career-long goals, all while hoping to erase the painful memories and shortcomings of the 2009 season.
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