The Boston University men’s soccer team could not manage a single shot on goal in their 1-0 loss to St. Johns University on Thursday at the team’s home opener at Nickerson field.
The loss was BU’s second in which it failed to convert a goal.
“This weekend we played two very good defensive teams, and we showed that we are not ready to break them down yet,” said BU coach Neil Roberts, “We wish we could have got a result. We had more chances at Monmouth but tonight we didn’t create enough chances against a good team.”
BU (1-2) controlled play at the beginning of the match, keeping possession well with accurate passing. The Terriers turned that possession into early scoring chances, but failed to convert as both senior midfielder Stephen Knox and freshman forward Dominique Badji sailed shots over the net.
“It’s all about taking your chance when you get it against good teams, and we didn’t create enough chances” said Roberts.
The only goal of the game came in the 34th minute when St. John’s (3-0) midfielder Jack Bennett weaved through BU defenders before rolling it past freshman goalkeeper Nick Thomson.
After the goal was scored, Roberts noted that his team was noticeably deflated and were fortunate to make it to halftime only down one goal.
“The goal kind of took the wind out of our sails, but I think we came back in the second half and pushed them as much as we could,” said Roberts.
As this was the Terriers first home game and it was the night of the annual Terrier Tailgate, 3,235 fans crammed into Nickerson Field, creating a raucous environment early on.
For a young team that features seven underclassmen in the starting lineup, this atmosphere was exciting but also may have brought out some nerves.
“It is a lot of young guys, but as the game went on they did a better job,” Roberts said.
Knox earned America East Player of the Game honors with a team-high three shots for the Terriers. Knox has scored the only two goals for BU this season, and continues to be an integral part of the offense.
Taking the field for the first time this season was sophomore defender Kelvin Madzongwe, who began training for the first time since his injury only one day before the game. The Zimbabwe native logged 43 minutes, all of which came in the midfield as opposed to his natural position on the backline.
“We didn’t want to put him in the back just because it was his first time out and we wanted to see how he was,” said Roberts.
Thomson got the start in goal after missing his last start due to an infection. Despite being questionable to play in Thursday night’s game, he made four saves and only allowed one goal against a strong St. John’s attack.
“We didn’t know if he was going to play today but he felt good enough to go, and he wasn’t 100 percent but he did a good job,” said Roberts.
With the loss, Roberts is still only one win away from his 300th career win. However, Roberts is more concerned about the developing his team early in the season than earning the milestone.
“We are looking at a lot of people still,” said Roberts. “I wouldn’t say we have a set rotation yet, but we have a lot to choose from, so we just have to be patient and it’s going to be a good group.”
Looking forward, the Terriers have two more home games against Big East opponents. The Terriers play Seton Hall University on Friday, before battling with the University of Connecticut a week later. The Huskies made the NCAA tournament last season, and will be BU’s third consecutive Big East opponent.
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