Coming into this past weekend, the Boston University men’s soccer team held a perfect record in Patriot League play. They won five straight conference games, accumulated all 15 possible points and sat comfortably atop the standings.
However, on Saturday, the Terriers (10-3-2, 5-0-1 Patriot League) dropped points within the conference for the first time all season in a 1-1 draw at Loyola University-Maryland. While the team still received a point, it stands out from its recent rich run of form.
“It was a little bit disappointing,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “I thought that Loyola played well and worked hard to get a point, if not more. However, we did enough to get three points out of the game. It is hard to come back from, but I thought the guys did well to regroup and get a point out of the game.”
Before facing the Greyhounds (5-6-3, 2-3-1 Patriot League), the Terriers had another disappointing road outing, falling to Boston College 3-1 on Oct. 21. Despite its two recent stumbles away from Nickerson Field, Roberts said his team will remain solid both on the road and at home.
“This group is very good on focusing in away from home,” he said. “We’ve picked up some good points on the road, so we have shown we can fight. I don’t think with this group it matters whether it’s home or away. We’ve shown we can execute and do what we need to do to get the points.”
Barker continues strong play
During the early stages of BU’s season, senior forward Dominique Badji, who has seven goals and three assists on the year, was a tough player to beat for opposing defenses. However, in recent weeks, it is senior midfielder Jordan Barker that has been steadily leading the Terriers offense.
After nabbing another assist against Loyola, Barker now has 10 points on the year from three goals and four assists.
Barker’s emergence has been crucial to the Terriers’ success this year. While his statistical contributions are noteworthy, Roberts said the senior’s strongest attributes will not appear in any box score.
“You cannot measure what he does for us through points,” he said. “He just does so much more consistently. Now, everyone is able to really see out there what we see every day in practice. His work ethic and the amount of energy he puts in a game are remarkable.”
Barker constantly buzzes around the midfield connecting short and long passes, nicks the ball away from his foes, covers a large amount of ground and continually dribbles out of midfield to relieve pressure.
“Jordan has been the unsung hero for us,” Roberts said. “He does so much of the dirty work and puts in so much energy in defense and attack. What nobody else sees is his leadership off the field within this group off the field, and it has just been amazing. It is just priceless what he has done in helping this group develop and grow.”
Madzongwe returns
The game against Loyola saw a welcome return to the Terriers’ lineup in senior defender and two-time Patriot League Corvias Defensive Player of the Week Kelvin Madzongwe.
Madzongwe received a red card in the Terriers 3-1 victory against Dartmouth University on Oct. 14 and did not play in the subsequent two games due to suspension and injury.
During that time, the Terriers have allowed four goals in those two games and saw their nine game unbeaten streak snapped at the hands of the Eagles (5-6-3).
While the team failed to keep a clean sheet this past weekend, Roberts said Madzongwe’s leadership can guide the Terriers back to the path of shutouts.
“Kelvin is experienced, athletic and brings us a lot of energy and leadership back there,” he said. “That’s obviously important. For some of the younger guys playing back there, it makes it easier to deal with tough situations since he’s been through them before.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
