Men’s soccer looks to build momentum in match with American

The No. 25 Boston University men’s soccer team will look to get back on a winning streak Saturday evening when it hosts American University at Nickerson Field.

The Terriers (11-3-2, 6-0-1 Patriot League) are looking to stay undefeated in conference play, while the Eagles (10-3-2, 4-2-1 Patriot League) will look to extend their winning streak to three games.

“Something’s got to give,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “They’re playing well. We’re playing better. It’ll be a fun contest, no doubt. But I do think our guys are prepared. We just have to keep winning as we head into the post-season. Momentum is huge.”

In their last contest on Wednesday, the Terriers came away with a 2-0 win against Colgate University. The Terriers started out sluggish and only registered one shot in the first half.

BU stepped up its efforts in the second half, scoring two goals early in the second half to seal Colgate’s fate. The first came off a corner from freshman defender Bjarki Benediktsson, as he sent a ball into the box for junior back Jeroen Blugh to collect and fire into the back of the net in the 56th minute. Just five minutes later, senior forward Dominique Badji sent a cross to junior forward Mac McGuire, who took the ball left before sending in the Terriers’ second goal of the evening.

The Terriers backline managed to hold forward Ethan Kutler, the Patriot League leader in points (27), to just two shots. BU continues to stifle opposing offenses, as the team recorded its seventh shutout of the season.

“It’s become a constant to me,” Roberts said. “It’s like every game, the defense just tells the guys, ‘We’ll take of them, don’t worry about that, just do your part, and we’ll get a win.’ I have confidence that our defense can stop anyone on a given night. And if we have to continue to win games like this, so be it. We just need to keep winning.”

American reached the 10-win mark Wednesday afternoon, as they defeated Loyola University – Maryland 1-0. The game was a struggle, as it took a goal in the 89th minute from sophomore Panos Nakhid to give American the win.

On the other side of the ball, American also boasts a tough defense, as they picked up their sixth shutout of the season. The Eagles have only allowed one goal in their last four contests.

“It’s going to be a challenge for our offense,” Roberts said. “They’ve been playing lights out lately, really shutting down everyone. Their goalkeeper is really playing great, along with their whole backline. But I still have confidence in our guys. We know the potential is there. We just have to take advantage of our opportunities because it’s going to come down to just that, our opportunities.”

While the Terriers have inserted themselves back into national rankings, these titles are the last thing Roberts cares about, as he said his team just needs to focus on the game and nothing else.

“We don’t care about that kind of stuff,” he said. “We just need to prepare for the game. And if we take it a game at a time, everything else will come along. We’ll be just fine.”