Just less than a month ago, the Boston University men’s soccer team had suffered its fourth-straight loss, a defeat that brought the team’s overall record to 1-4 on the young season. To make matters worse for the preseason America East Conference favorites, the team had only scored one goal in that four-game stretch.
But mere weeks removed from its lowest point of the season, something is starting to take shape on Commonwealth Avenue – the Terriers, with conference play now in full force, are hitting their stride.
Since the Sept. 16 loss to then-No. 1 University of Connecticut that capped off the team’s longest skid of the season, BU has won five of its past seven games, a streak of success that it hopes to continue as it returns home to Nickerson Field to take on Stony Brook University Saturday.
The Terriers’ (6-6, 2-1 America East) contest against the Seawolves (6-4-3, 2-0 America East) comes directly off the heels of BU’s hard-fought 1-0 win over the University of Vermont Wednesday night.
“It was good to get the win,” said BU head coach Neil Roberts. “It was not what we wanted to do but it was what it ended up being.”
Though the Terriers managed to scrap their way to a win over the host Catamounts, the team – even aside from senior midfielder Stephen Knox’s game-winning goal – continued to struggle capitalizing on the offensive end.
In 12 games this season, the BU offense has managed just 12 goals, a disappointing statistic given the offensive promise that surrounded the team entering the season with the likes of Knox and senior forward Ben Berube returning to head the attack. The Terriers are averaging 10.6 shots per game, a number decidedly down from the 17.5 figure that they posted last season. Additionally, BU has scored just 0.83 goals per game through 12 games compared to the 1.88 goals per game that it posted in 2010.
However, what Roberts and the Terriers have lacked in offensive output this season has been compensated by the stout play of the back line. Even though it has played several games without reigning America East Defender of the Year Colin Henry, the BU defense has allowed 0.83 goals per game and is only allowing 34.8 percent of shots-on-goal to find the back of the net.
Despite having to rely heavily on three freshmen in the defensive third, the Terriers have managed to hold opponents in check, particularly with freshman goaltender Nick Thompson showing signs of potential and development.
“It was very difficult,” Roberts said of Thompson’s performance in holding Vermont scoreless Wednesday. “It was just balls being thrown in and it’s a very, very difficult situation for a goalkeeper when you are getting on the end of balls that are bouncing around in the box.
Thompson and the Terriers’ defense, a unit that has tallied four shutouts thus far, will have their hands full with the Stony Brook offense, a group that has averaged 1.5 goals on 14.9 shots per game.
The Seawolves are led by a potent offensive duo of forward Berian Gobeil and midfielder Leonardo Fernandes, the latter of whom is the defending America East Midfielder of the Year.
Gobeil leads the team in goals, with six, and points, with 14. Fernandes – a Sao Paulo, Brazil native – is second in both team categories with four goals and 11 points. Taken together, Gobeil and Fernandes account for 56 percent of Stony Brook’s goals and 52 percent of its points.
“They are a very technical team that has some very exciting players,” Roberts said. “They like to go forward. They are a team that knows one thing and that is to attack, so it will be interesting.”
Even though his team is enjoying its best stretch of play of the season, Roberts insists that the Terriers are only concerned with the challenges that Stony Brook presents and not whatever obstacles may lie ahead.
“Points are important, but right now you can’t really worry about seeding. You have to worry about getting in and get as many points as you can,” Roberts said. “You can worry about a seed but I don’t think anybody is in it yet. We have six points which is okay, but we just have to worry about the next game really.”
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