For any soccer team on any level, floundering on offense and losing 1-0 is a tough pill to swallow.
And when it’s against a heated rival? Well, that makes it a little tougher.
Despite a strong defensive effort from its back line and goalkeeper, the Boston University men’s soccer team continued to falter on the offensive end and suffered a disheartening 1-0 loss to Boston College Tuesday night at Nickerson Field.
The Terriers (7-7, 3-1 America East Conference) posted 11 shots, three of which were on goal, but ultimately could not break through. BC ended a scoreless deadlock in the game’s 67th minute when Eagles midfielder Kyle Bekker drilled a first-touch shot in the side netting from about 19 yards out to provide the match’s decisive moment.
Especially considering it came against a bitter foe, the loss was particularly tough for the Terriers in their final non-conference game.
“We haven’t beaten them in a while so it is very disappointing,” said BU head coach Neil Roberts after the game. “I thought we played well enough to get something out of the game, but they scored a nice goal.
“I wish we would have stepped up a little bit higher and put a tackle on. We defended the numbers but we didn’t individually tackle very well.”
Now back at the .500 threshold, BU will look to rebound from the stinging loss with an America East matchup on the road against the University at Albany.
The Great Danes (4-7-3, 0-1-3 America East) have struggled for much of the season, but are looking to turn things around with just a few games remaining on the schedule before the America East Tournament begins in a few weeks.
Up top, Albany has a strong offensive duo in the form of forward Quentil Gates and midfielder Pomare Te Anau.
Gates leads the Great Danes in goals (five) and is tied for the team lead in assists (three) which amounts to a team-high 13 points. His goals and points figures rank second among America East players.
Additionally, Gates has proven to be an efficient factor on the offensive end as the Bay Shore, N.Y. native has a shot percentage of 29.4 percent and a shots-on-goal percentage of 52.9 percent.
Te Anau has also been an integral force in the Albany attack, as he ranks near the top in many offensive categories, including second in goals with four, tied for first in assists with three and second in points with 11.
Taken together, Gates and Te Anau account for 53.3 percent of Albany’s points and 52.9 percent of the team’s goals.
Trying to counteract the integral pair in the Albany offense will be a BU defense that has evolved and progressed throughout much of the season.
Led by a breakout freshman performer in goal in Nick Thomson and an ever-progressing defender in sophomore Kelvin Madzongwe, the BU defense has kept the Terriers competitive even while the offense has, for the most part, been stuck in neutral of recent.
As a team, BU has given up just 0.77 goals per game this season, something which places it first among America East teams. In the Terriers’ past seven games, they have allowed only three goals, an average of just 0.43 goals per game.
The success has come even as the Terriers have played without one of their defensive anchors in reigning America East Defender of the Year Colin Henry, who Roberts said will miss the rest of the regular season with a hamstring injury.
However, in Henry’s absence, the younger players like Thomson, Madzongwe and freshman defender Sanford Spivey have been forced to mature and improve, a challenge to which they’ve responded thus far.
Even in a losing effort against BC, Thomson in particular really impressed Roberts.
“He played great, he really did,” Roberts said. “He has been playing well all year, and that was a good game for him, but unfortunately we couldn’t get him a win.”
But even with the standout play of the defense, the lack of production on the offensive end has handicapped the Terriers for much of the season.
BU has scored just 11 goals in its 14 games this season, a mark that includes two goals in its last four contests, a period in which the Terriers went 2-2.
Beginning with the trip to Albany, Roberts hopes that his team can improve its offense and jump start play at a late, critical juncture in the season.
“Going into the conference now you need goals, you need points, and we are doing pretty well at it,” Roberts said. “We just have to keep fighting and picking up points.”
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