After concluding a three-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over the College of the Holy Cross on Senior Day, the Boston University men’s soccer team will hit the road for its final two games of the season.
Its first opponent on this road trip is the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on Saturday afternoon.
The Terriers (11-4-1, 5-1-1 Patriot League) narrowly lead Patriot League, and a win on Saturday could put them in an advantageous position to secure the top seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.
“We’re just concentrating on Army [(4-6-4, 2-2-2 Patriot League)],” said BU coach Neil Roberts. “If we can win [against] Army, we can get three points closer [to being the top seed].”
However, there is no such thing as an easy win against the Black Knights. Although they are below .500, Army has only lost one game by two goals. The rest of its losses were by one goal, showing that it is a tougher team to beat than its record would indicate.
Leading the offensive charge for the Black Knights is senior Cody Guerry. The Garland, Texas, native has a team-best three goals and three assists on the season. The Terrier defense will also have to watch out for junior Nick Williams. The forward has started every game for Army and has a team-leading 11 shots on goal.
Holding down the fort for the Black Knights will be goalkeeper Chris Britt. The 6-foot-5 senior has started every game in net this season, posting a .750 save percentage with 45 saves. Britt has three shutouts on the year and has only let in an average of one goal per game.
“They don’t concede a lot of goals,” Roberts said of the Black Knights. “We just have to get ball movement and see if we can open them up and get some good opportunities. We’ve got to finish those opportunities while keeping a good balance and not letting them attack us.”
BU has played the last four games without sophomore midfielder Anthony Viteri. Despite not playing since Oct. 13 at Brown University, the St. John’s University transfer is still tied for third in the conference in goals per game (six).
In Viteri’s absence, junior forward Felix De Bona has stepped up for the Terriers. De Bona was relentless on the attack for the Terriers over the previous homestand, scoring three goals, including both of BU’s goals in its win over Holy Cross (5-7-4, 2-3-2 Patriot League). With Viteri out, De Bona has come up with big goals in big moments for BU, as he has climbed to second in the Patriot League in goals-scored (seven).
Another key component of the Terriers’ offense has been freshman midfielder Magnus Benediktsson. The Reykjavik, Iceland, native has made tremendous improvements over the course of the season. He is second in the conference in assists (six) and tied for first in assists per game (0.50).
On the defensive side of the ball, junior goalkeeper Matt Gilbert remains rock solid between the posts. He leads the Patriot League with 76 saves and his .835 save percentage is second in the conference.
Going forward, BU will continue to try to improve as it heads into the postseason.
“One thing we can improve on from the Holy Cross game is making sure that we don’t allow balls to drop as much in the back line,” Roberts said. “I’d like to be cleaner in the defensive third in the next couple of games because going into the playoffs, not conceding goals is huge.”
