The Boston University men’s soccer team was able to prolong its unbeaten streak to six games with an impressive 2-0 win against the United States Military Academy Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field.
The match featured two goalkeepers on the top of their respective game. Army (3-4-3, 0-2 Patriot League) came to Boston looking to keep the Terriers off the scoreboard with 2013 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Winston Boldt standing between the Terriers’ offense and twine.
Meanwhile, BU senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson was coming off a nine-save performance against the United States Naval Academy on Sept. 27.
The Black Knights were unable to execute on either side of the ball, allowing the Terriers to take control of the match early on. Senior forward Dominique Badji and sophomore forward Felix De Bona were open in the opposing third of the field constantly in the first half, putting a lot of pressure on Boldt. In the first four minutes of the match alone, Boldt was called upon to make two saves – the same amount Thomson faced for the entire 90 minutes.
The constant pressure and the lack of defense on the Black Knights part led to a Badji score in the 12th minute that was set up by De Bona and freshman defender Bjarki Benediktsson. Three minutes later, an Army foul led to a set piece from Benediktsson, who was able to connect with fellow Iceland native – sophomore midfielder David Asbjornsson – for a spectacular header goal.
Asbjornsson and the Terriers’ midfielders were the difference makers in this match. Immediately following his header goal in the 15th minute, Asbjornsson was on the other end of the field defending against the Black Knights’ attack. Similarly, freshman midfielder Adam Sheikali got the start – only his second of the season – on the backline and made smart decisions under pressure, controlling the ball with confidence.
As a whole, the Terriers played very deliberately in the first half, playing at their own pace and maintaining possession in their own backfield.
This was something the Terriers certainly improved upon from their previous match against Navy (5-4-2, 1-1 Patriot League), where the Midshipmen’s pressure seemed too much for BU at times.
“It’s what we want to do, but we haven’t been doing it,” Roberts said of maintaining the pace of play. “We had a week to train, and that’s all we did all week in training. I wouldn’t say it was great, but towards the end of the week, the guys really started to get it and do better at it…That’s what we want as our identity.”
The momentum seemed to shift after halftime however, as Army came out forcing the ball down the Terriers’ end of the field. With a 49th minute shot on goal from Army midfielder Justin Kim, the Black Knights had already tallied more shots in the second half than they had in all of the previous half.
Thankfully for the Terriers, the backfield rose to the occasion. Senior defender Kelvin Madzongwe and Sheikali were both very effective at putting out Army’s chances before they could really materialize. However, Army’s plethora of second-half substitutes made it hard for the Terriers to tire out their opponents with the possession game. Freshman defender Eric Udelson didn’t help matters, as his 75th minute red card for arguing with the official sent the team down to 10 men.
“It’s difficult, especially when they keep using bodies at you and everybody stays fresh, [to] try to do possession and tire them out like we did in the first half,” Roberts said about how his team was able to adjust their game plan in the second half. “If you keep subbing, you don’t tire anyone out because they just put fresh people in. There’s not much you can do except try and score that third goal and end the game.”
The Terriers were unable to put that third goal past Boldt, however, seeing as how after the red card, the team was forced to stay on the defensive, ultimately earning their fourth shutout on the year. Roberts acknowledged the play of Madzongwe and the challenges he’s faced, trying to lead two freshmen in the backfield.
“Kelvin [Madzongwe] is a rock back there for us,” Roberts said. “[There are] two freshmen outside of him. It’s not easy. Kelvin’s got a lot of coaching [to do] as well as his own game, and he’s doing a good job of it.”
