Coming off a slew of Patriot League matchups, the No. 22 Boston University men’s soccer team headed up north Tuesday for a match against Dartmouth College. Facing off against their final Ivy League opponent of the season, the Terriers earned a 3-1 win over the Big Green.
Riding a seven-game unbeaten streak into the contest, the Terriers’ (9-2-1, 4-0 Patriot League) continuous offensive pressure got to their Ivy League opponent early.
The Terriers attacked the Big Green (7-3-1) from the beginning of the match and found twine early. Dartmouth goalkeeper James Hickok got the unusual start in net for the Big Green instead of junior Stefan Cleveland, and he proved to be no match for the Terriers’ offensive attack within the first 10 minutes of play.
In the fifth minute, a Terrier free kick from junior defender Jeroen Blugh led to a scrum in front of the net and an eventual goal by sophomore forward Felix De Bona. In the 10th minute, a cross from freshman defender Bjarki Benediktsson soared into the box and was subsequently buried by freshman midfielder David Amirani.
BU coach Neil Roberts was impressed with his team Tuesday night after they pulled out the victory.
“This was obviously a very good win,” Roberts said. “Yes, the circumstances were a little bit bizarre, but we got the goals. The guys did what we [needed them] to do.”
The bizarre circumstances Roberts spoke of referred to the big hit his defense suffered later in the first half. In the 28th minute, senior defender Kelvin Madzongwe, the leader of the BU backfield, was given a red card and sent out of the game. Without Madzongwe manning the defense, Blugh and senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson were forced to take control of a relatively inexperienced corps.
Facing a Big Green offense that averages 2.09 goals per game with just 10 men for another half looked to be a daunting task, until a defensive miscue by Dartmouth defender Ricardo Gomez allowed senior forward/defender Parker Powell to score on an empty net in the 45th minute, giving the Terriers a 3-0 lead going into halftime.
In their first 45 minutes against Hickok and the Big Green, the Terriers scored more goals than they have in any game all season. Roberts said the Terriers’ ability to capitalize on chances won them the game on the offensive side.
“We just took our opportunities,” Roberts said. “It’s not like we were dominating anything or anything like that. We had our chances, and we finished our chances.”
The second half seemed at first to be a battle, with only two shots taken in the first 10 minutes — both taken by Dartmouth and both saved by Thomson. In the 62nd minute, Dartmouth forward Alex Adelabu’s shot soared wide. On the ensuing corner kick, Dartmouth senior Stefan Defregger found Gomez for the goal in the 63rd minute, putting the Big Green on the board.
Following the goal, the Dartmouth offense looked to be gaining the edge on the Terrier defense, tallying six more shots for the remainder of the match, with Thomson saving the only two on goal. Roberts, though, praised his defense for their ability to react, despite being a man down.
“I think the adjustment we made was we gave up half the field and we just said, ‘Don’t get behind us,’” Roberts said. “We had a three-goal lead, and we were down a man, so we just said, ‘Don’t get behind us.’ We kept everything in front of us. We did what we wanted to do. We told them, ‘Come break us down.’”
Tuesday’s 3-1 victory brought the Terriers’ unbeaten streak to eight games, but Roberts prefers to focus on their upcoming games rather than what they have already accomplished.
“We’ve got a conference game coming up,” Roberts said. “And we’re banged up from this game, so we’ve got to adjust and see where we’re at.”
