The Boston University men’s soccer team recorded its first win of the season against the University of Massachusetts Amherst Saturday night with a 2-1 victory.
Despite the close score, the Terriers (1-1) seemed to dominate the Minutemen (0-4-1) throughout the entirety of the game. BU head coach Neil Roberts was proud of his team’s efforts, but acknowledged that the Terriers could have played a more dominant game.
“I thought our possession was good, but we need more of that killer instinct,” Roberts said. “They were playing so defensive. The way they were playing, they really shouldn’t get a goal against us.”
Roberts said he believes his team can improve on extending leads and continuing to put pressure on its opponents for the full 90 minutes.
“It’s disappointing we gave up the goal in the first half,” Roberts said. “Even when we had the 2-1 lead, it was us pushing and them still not coming forward. We’ll learn.”
Roberts was pleased, though, with the play of senior midfielder David Asbjornsson and junior midfielder Anthony Viteri. Not only did the dynamic pair put in the only two goals of the game for the Terriers, but they seemed to make everyone around them better by controlling things on the offensive end.
Asbjornsson beautifully kicked in a Mark Wadid free kick cross in the 19th minute of the contest to put the Terriers up 1-0.
“David’s a very quiet kid, but on the field he’s very demanding,” Roberts said. “His actions speak for him. He’s just a solid player, he’s been so solid for us the past two years on and off the field.”
Asbjornsson, who last season was named the Patriot League Defender of the Year, is one of two Icelandic players on the Terriers’ roster, the other being sophomore midfielder Magnus Benediktsson.
Roberts heaped praise on both players, whose contributions may not always show up on the statsheet, but are still vital to the success of the team.
“We’ve had players from Iceland for over 12 years now,” Roberts said. “It’s been something we’ve been doing for a long time. They’re great kids, great players and steady.”
The Minutemen tied the score at one in the 30th minute, as junior Alex DeSantis netted his second goal of the season. Senior goalkeeper Matt Gilbert kept the Terriers in the game from that point forward, and had two saves on the night.
Nine minutes later, Viteri connected on a kick from outside the box to give the Terriers a 2-1 lead. It was his second goal on the young season.
“I think Anthony plays extremely well attacking-wise,” Roberts said. “We need to work defensively with him, especially when we have a one-goal lead. But he’s special. I don’t think Anthony is playing anywhere close to where he is going to be playing in a couple weeks.”
It’s clear after just two games that Roberts expects a great deal from his 2016 Terriers, and rightfully so. The team secured an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament a season ago, and many of its key contributors are returning.
“I thought we were a little bit rusty, but there were some good things,” Roberts said. “I thought our possession was good, but we didn’t attack enough.”
Roberts said he believes that this first victory showed the Terriers the type of tenacity they must play with night in and night out, especially with Patriot League play beginning this Saturday, Sept. 24 at Bucknell University.
“It’s a work in progress, but there are signs of what we need to do,” Roberts said.
