In its last regular season game before it enters Patriot League Tournament play, the No. 24 Boston University men’s soccer team will visit Bucknell University Saturday in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
The Terriers (11-3-3, 6-0-2 Patriot League) have already locked up the top seed in the tournament and have earned a berth into the semifinals, which will take place Nov. 14 at Nickerson Field.
“It’s good to have it with a game to go, but we got to stay focused,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “We still want to act like we are fighting for a spot in the tournament.”
In the Terriers’ last contest against American University on Saturday, neither team could get a go-ahead shot and battled to a 0-0 double-overtime draw.
This game could be one of rest for the Terriers, as Roberts may sit some of his key players like senior forward Dominique Badji, senior defender Kelvin Madzongwe and junior defender Jeroen Blugh.
“We should not be affected by injuries in the game,” Roberts said. “The players that are playing, we still do not know who that will be, will be capable of winning games. They have done very well this season and whomever we wind up putting out will have no problems.”
The Bison (8-9-1, 4-3-1 Patriot League) are also a tournament-bound team and will be looking to improve their positioning in the final league standings.
“They are always a difficult team, and we only played them once last year, but they have talented players,” Roberts said. “Again, like a lot of the teams in the league, they are tough and well organized, do not give up many goals.”
Bucknell has struggled at spots this season, but its strength of schedule is amongst the best in the Patriot League, as they have played nationally ranked opponents in Penn State University and Syracuse University.
“They are a very hard team to break down, and they just fight to the end,” Roberts said. “Like all the teams in the conference, they are very disciplined and organized defensively.”
The main source of offense for the Bison comes from junior Jesse Klug and senior Jonathan Grad.
Klug has 21 points on the season, which breaks down to eight goals and five assists, while Grad has six goals and four assists.
A significant amount of Bucknell’s struggles can be traced back to the defensive side of the ball, while the Terriers have excelled in that department.
The Terriers rank first in the league in goals allowed and goals against average while the Bison are fifth in both.
Bucknell is coming off two solid defensive performances in shutout wins over Lafayette College on Oct. 29 and the College of the Holy Cross on Saturday. Goalkeeper Clarke Fox was named Corvias Goalkeeper of the Week, the Patriot League announced Monday.
For BU, freshman defender Bjarki Benediktsson earned Rookie of the Week honors for his stellar defensive play.
Benediktsson was an instrumental part of BU’s shutout performances over the past week. The only player that has more minutes on the season, excluding goalkeeper Nick Thomson, is senior midfielder Jordan Barker.
While Benediktsson has been a focal point all year, Roberts said the rest of the team has really clicked on since conference play began.
“I do not think anything has changed. We have just gotten better at executing,” Roberts said. “We’re playing well and playing hard and being ready to play. Even at the beginning of the season, when we were not as consistent and they were trying to do what we were asking, it just was not all there yet.”
Even though the game on Saturday cannot affect the team’s tournament spot, Roberts said the Terriers have remained locked in and are eager to go out and compete this upcoming weekend.
“The work ethic, the commitment and the concentration have been there all year,” Roberts said. “I do not think focus will be an issue. The preparation this week in practice has been the same as it always has been.”
