The No. 23 Boston University men’s soccer team dropped its first match of the 2014 season Wednesday afternoon, falling to Siena College in its first road game of the year by a score of 1-0.
In their second contest of the week, the Terriers (2-1) looked to remain perfect on the season and improve on offense after their previous showings, as the team only scored two goals over their first two matches. A win Wednesday against the Saints (2-0) would secure the team’s first 3-0-0 record in 16 years.
While the Terriers opened the game up strong, the latter part of the first half showed numerous signs for concern. Senior forward Dominique Badji opened the game with a shot in the third minute that sailed wide. Additional shots from junior forward Mac McGuire and freshman midfielder Adam Sheikali in the 12th and 17th minute, respectively, kept the pressure on early. That would be all the offense the Terriers could produce in the first half, however, as it was all Saints from that point on.
“I’m disappointed obviously,” said BU coach Neil Roberts when asked about the match. “We really played well in the first half. What happened in the last two games happened and cost us. We had a really good chance to score. It came back to haunt us in the end.”
Siena’s offensive barrage began in the 20th minute with a shot from forward junior Rosero that was deflected, but it didn’t stop there. In the 27th minute, a corner kick from forward Tom Allen was headed in by freshman Alexander Tejera. The goal was the first allowed by the Terriers and senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson on the young season, and it would prove to be all the offense that Siena would need. The first half ended with the Saints leading 1-0 while also outshooting the Terriers 5-3 – the first time the Terriers have been outshot in a half this season.
“We just weren’t keeping the ball out.…We weren’t doing everything we could do,” Roberts said on Siena’s surge that eventually led to the only goal of the afternoon. “We were under pressure. [In that situation], you either get possession of the ball and stop it, or it’s just a matter of time.”
Similar misfortunes plagued the Terriers in the second half regarding foul trouble. After a couple of Terrier fouls opened the half, Saints goalkeeper Josh Weiss stopped a 53rd minute shot from Badji for his first of three saves in the half.
In the 63rd minute, Thomson made his only save of the half, off a shot from senior Nick Theobald. In the 71st minute, a yellow card for junior defender Jeroen Blugh was immediately followed by a headed shot from Tejera that sailed wide of the net.
The Terriers refused to let up, registering two shots on goal – an 82nd minute shot from senior defender Kelvin Madzongwe and one in the 84th minute from sophomore midfielder Elliot Maker – in the final 10 minutes of play, both of which were saved by Weiss. Terrier junior forward Lucas McBride also received a yellow card in the 82nd minute.
Despite taking the loss, Roberts was much more pleased with the team’s effort in the second half.
“Second half, we played a lot better,” Roberts said. “We had a chance. We probably had three good chances that we didn’t finish. We did that in the first few games as well. But then we got one. In this game we didn’t get one. When you get some chances that we had, you have to put them away. The game changes when you do.”
