After defeating Brown University 2-0 on Tuesday, the Boston University men’s soccer team will open Patriot League play this Saturday at Bucknell University.
The Terriers (3-2) played well in the early going, and are looking to build off their shutout over the Bears (3-3).
BU head coach Neil Roberts said he is eager to get conference play started, and has taken notice that the team has been consistently improving since the start of the preseason.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Roberts said. “I think our team is getting better every week and I think that will continue. The intensity and commitment of this group I can see getting better as the season goes on.”
BU played extremely well in Patriot League contests in 2015, accruing a 6-1-2 record against its conference foes. Four of the 10 teams in the league finished with winning records a season ago, and Roberts said he believes that competition will be even stiffer this year.
“This will probably be one of the most competitive Patriot League seasons since I have been in the league,” he said. “It’ll be challenging, but we’re looking forward to starting on the road and seeing how we are going to fit into it.”
Terriers look to find consistency on the road
The Terriers have opened up the season 3-0 when playing on Nickerson Field, but have struggled a bit on the road, going 0-2 away from Nickerson thus far.
In addition, BU has only allowed one goal at home, but has struggled defensively when on the road.
“The challenge for Saturday is playing defensively on the road,” Roberts said. “We gave up two at Princeton [University] and three at Boston College.”
If the Terriers want repeat performances of last year’s Patriot League play, they need to be more consistent on a game-by-game basis, regardless of where they take the field.
After suffering a tough 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Tigers (3-2) on Sept. 16, where the Terriers dominated shots 15 to six, they came out firing against Brown.
Roberts said he believes their strong performance against the Bears was a step in the right direction, and though the Terriers have struggled on the road thus far, they will fare well on Saturday and continue to find consistency.
“I think we were better at Brown dealing with situations,” he said. “I am confident that we are going to have a good showing [on Saturday]. I just think that mentally this group is in a pretty good place.”
Freshmen displaying their talent early on
Just as sophomore forward T.J. Butzke showed flashes of talent early on last season, the Terriers’ eight-man freshman class is already making contributions through the team’s first five games.
Both freshman midfielder Jerry Ozor and classmate Matt McDonnell, a forward, have been x-factors as of late. Against Brown, Ozor tallied two assists, while McDonnell netted his second goal of the season.
Since the Terriers have often found themselves ahead in the second half of games this season, Roberts has been able to integrate these young players into his system at their own pace.
“We are in a good situation where they don’t have learn under pressure,” Roberts said.
Should this group to continue to make strides throughout their BU career, the future of the program looks bright. Having a talented group of upperclassmen has been crucial for the younger players on this team, and it affords Roberts and his staff the ability to not throw the freshmen into high-pressure situations.
“We can put them in spots. They don’t have to start and they can come off the bench and see how the game is going,” Roberts said. “It’s good that we can bring them along slowly.”
