The Boston University men’s soccer team put together a strong showing Thursday night, as it took down cross-river rival Harvard University by a score of 3-0.
It was not easy for the Terriers (4-2), but they handled early, heavy pressure from the Crimson (1-4-2) well, en route to their fourth win.
In the fifth minute of the contest, senior defender Jeroen Blugh went for a header but came up limping. As Terrier fans collectively held their breath, they were placated just minutes later, as Blugh got up and led the defense for the rest of the first half.
While the Terriers seemed to rush themselves in the face of the Harvard press, sophomore midfielder Anthony Viteri generated two quality shots in just under 30 seconds in the 11th minute. Although he could not get past the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week in Harvard goalkeeper Evan Mendez, his early efforts provided a small sample of what was to come.
The Crimson kept up with the Terriers for the entire first half, and seemed to dominate the possession game, but with 45 seconds left in the half, the Terriers found pay dirt on a lull in play. On a Crimson throw-in that resulted from a misplay by freshman midfielder Troy Phoa, Viteri found himself alone in the box, where he buried the ball into the net. BU went into the locker room up 1-0.
The Crimson tried to implement the same pressure they had in the first half early in the second half, but the Terriers outplayed them.
BU coach Neil Roberts mentioned that it was his squad’s passing that resulted in the offense’s success Thursday.
“[Against] a team that pressures a lot, when you can get that rhythm of passing going, they’re going to get tired instead of you getting tired,” Roberts said. “It’s very difficult to pressure for 90 minutes, and if you can possess under that pressure eventually you’re going to find cracks. It’s hard.”
The Terriers remained patient and, as a result, found their offensive players wide open on both sides of the field for prime opportunities. Freshman midfielder T.J. Butzke and junior forward Mark Wadid both got some clear shots, but the Crimson blocked them.
Viteri broke things open again in the 55th minute when a gorgeous lead pass from Wadid allowed him to drill the ball past Mendez. According to Roberts, the sophomore’s five-goal haul in six games can largely be attributed to his unwavering work ethic.
“He’s a good player,” Roberts said. “The thing about Anthony is that he trains like this every day. I’m not kidding. He trains with this much effort every day. To see one of your top players train as hard as he does every day, it’s impressive. … I’ve never seen him take a day off.”
Although Harvard notched 10 shots in the second half, none of them threatened junior goalkeeper Matt Gilbert and the rest of the defense.
As the clock wound down, senior forward Lucas McBride slid a shot in off a two-on-one situation, sealing the victory for the Terriers.
“[Tonight] shows that we’re growing,” Roberts said. “It shows what we’re capable of at times. There were a lot of mistakes out there, but we’re growing. We’re young and we just want to get better and I think we were better today than we have been.”
