The Boston University men’s soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to seven games Saturday night, as it defeated Lehigh University 2-0. It is the program’s longest such streak since 2008.
The Terriers (8-2-1, 4-0 Patriot League) escaped with a win thanks to some fortuitous bounces, as the Mountain Hawks (6-5 2-2 Patriot League) controlled possession for most of the match.
“We played far from our best today,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “We really got away with one today. But that’s what good teams do. They find ways to win games. Today, we got lucky and found a way to win.”
The Terriers came out of the gate strong, as freshman midfielder David Amirani recorded his second goal of the season in the ninth minute of play. He fired a shot into the lower right corner from 15 yards out, beating goalkeeper Ciaran Nugent and giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead.
Lehigh was not discouraged, however, as the Mountain Hawks kept the pressure on the Terriers. Despite the amount of shots that Lehigh launched against the BU defense, the Terriers were the ones who capitalized on their opportunity.
In the 39th minute, senior forward Dominique Badji dribbled around defenders at the top of the 18-yard box and scorched a shot past Nugent to extend BU’s lead to 2-0. It was Badji’s team-leading sixth goal of the year. The half came to an end shortly after, as the Terriers had built themselves a comfortable lead despite being outplayed for the majority of the first 45 minutes.
The Mountain Hawks recorded 11 shots in the half, including a penalty kick that sailed wide of the net just 45 seconds after Badji’s goal. Despite all the shots, not one was on target, as the Mountain Hawks continued to waste scoring opportunities.
“We really got beat there in the first half,” Roberts said. “But it didn’t show on the score. We knew we had to play better. We couldn’t be content… They had around 10 shots on us in that first half. That’s way too many. We have to do better. And we will do better.”
The Terriers elevated their play in the second half, as sophomore forward Felix De Bona fired a hard shot at Nugent within five minutes of the half. Lehigh came right back though, as senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson recorded his first save of the game in the 52nd minute.
Lehigh continued to press hard, recording 14 shots in the second half. Thomson and the defense were up to the challenge, however, as they continued to stop any Lehigh chances on offense.
Thomson came up big for the Terriers once again, recording five saves en route to yet another shutout.
“He’s been big this year,” Roberts said. “He hasn’t had to make many saves, which he probably should’ve had in a game like today, but he’s made the ones we’ve needed. I feel like every game, I’m talking about how well he did. I’ve seen this kid progress throughout years, and he’s really grown into a great keeper. It’s nice to see.”
As the game neared its conclusion, the Mountain Hawks continued to press, but could not muster anything. Lehigh finished with a 25-9 advantage in shots while recording all five of their corners in the second half. On the stat sheet, it looked as if the Mountain Hawks dominated, but the Terriers’ backline proved to be too much for Lehigh’s offense.
“It’s still early,” Roberts said. “We haven’t proven anything yet. At least we have to play like we haven’t. There’s still a lot of season left, a lot. But to say I’m not glad with where we are? That would be a lie. But we have to keep getting better.”
When I'm not crying about another Geno Smith turnover, I am covering sports for The Daily Free Press. I am a New York Jets, Mets and Knicks fan, so I do not know what winning is. Please, have mercy and follow me on Twitter at @MannyGomezz
