Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Siena College was a crucial one for the Boston University men’s soccer team from a results-oriented perspective, but it more importantly revealed a team identity coming to fruition.
On the offensive side of things, key players rose to the occasion, as sophomore midfielder Anthony Viteri and junior forward Felix De Bona combined on the evening’s sole marker, all while sophomore midfielder David Amirani bossed the center of the park.
Perhaps most importantly, though, the Terriers (2-1) found success in wide areas and utilized every inch of Nickerson Field’s brand new turf surface. Through probing and audacious runs from junior forward Mark Wadid, Viteri and others, BU created plenty of opportunities.
“I thought [our wide play] was better than the first two matches, so that was a positive sign,” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “We weren’t executing in the final third, which is always difficult, so that is the next step. The good thing is that we were possessing in [Siena’s] half more than we had all year. In the last 25 minutes we lost our way a bit, but a couple times we got people wide and created really good chances.”
Outside of the team’s flank play, BU’s varied attack caused Siena (0-2-2) fits all night long. The Saints could not hone in on one player and were often left guessing as to where the next surge would come from.
“We have a lot of different people who can score who we haven’t even seen this year, which is encouraging,” Roberts said. “We have guys that can move and finish, and, again, as long as we get the combination play working, you’ll see Viteri, Amirani, Wadid and a bunch of other guys contributing in a bunch of different ways.”
As key as the offensive developments were against Siena, BU also saw its collective identity take form during the match. After De Bona’s tally in the 47th minute, the Terriers held on through a barrage of injuries to preserve the victory.
Viteri succumbed to what appeared to be cramps, senior defender Jeroen Blugh came out with what seemed to be a strained leg muscle and Amirani nearly had to exit the match in its waning moments. Nonetheless, through the veteran leadership of players like junior goalkeeper Matt Gilbert and junior right back David Asbjornsson, the Terriers rolled with the punches.
According to Roberts, there is still room to grow, but the signs of resilience within the ranks are encouraging.
“There is a lot of character in the team,” Roberts said. “What we need to do now is when things go against us, which is going to happen in every game, is be able to get it back and that’s the big thing. That’s what we haven’t been able to do yet.”
As the Terriers’ identity comes into focus, the most encouraging fact is arguably that the team is on an upward trajectory after adding to the win column. They pitched a shutout for the first time all season, saw De Bona emerge as a consistent threat in the penalty area after scoring three goals in as many games and displayed a broad understanding of how each player fit into the grander scheme of things.
There is still progress to be made as Patriot League play nears and the schedule toughens, but the victory over Siena set a lot of positive elements in motion.
“Are we there yet? No,” Roberts said. “We aren’t close to where we like to be or need to be, but we saw improvements in certain areas [against Siena]. Tactically, we weren’t great once we got the lead, but it’s a lot of new people and we’ll continue to get better at that. From where we opened up in preseason against [the University of] New Hampshire, we’re miles better.”
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.
