The Boston University men’s soccer team fell to Lehigh University 1-0 Saturday night at Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Terriers (5-6-2, 1-3-2 Patriot League) still have yet to record a victory away from Nickerson Field.
With the win, the Mountain Hawks (6-8-1, 2-4-0 Patriot League) snapped a three-game unbeaten streak for BU.
Lehigh junior Doyle Tuvesson netted the only score of the contest with a goal inside of the box to the near post in the 48th minute.
The Terriers’ road struggles persist, as they are a disappointing 0-4-2 when playing away from Nickerson Field following Saturday’s loss. Playing without junior midfielder Anthony Viteri, one of the best players in all of Division I soccer this year, BU was still able to get 14 shots off, eight of which were on goal.
“It was disappointing, obviously,” BU head coach Neil Roberts said. “We had three chances to go up 1-0 and we didn’t do it, so that’s a problem.”
The Mountain Hawks currently sit in eighth place in the Patriot League standings, just in front of the ninth-place Terriers.
BU could not convert on any of its chances. In fact, the Terriers had eight corners in the second half of the game alone, but could not find the back of the net.
Senior goalkeeper Matt Gilbert, the most recent Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week, recorded two saves against the Mountain Hawks.
Though Gilbert put forth a solid effort, Roberts said he was disappointed with the defense in the second half.
“It was just poor individual defending and then they go up 1-0 and we are just chasing the game,” Roberts said. “It’s not due to effort, it’s just due to mistakes and it just leads to problems.”
Looking to provide a spark for his team on the road, Roberts made some personnel changes. Among them was the fact that sophomore midfielder T.J. Butzke came off the bench for just the third time this season.
Butzke has been a key contributor for BU in both the 2015 and 2016 campaigns, but Roberts said he believes that bringing him off the bench was a smart play with Viteri out.
“We’re just trying to finish off games strong,” Roberts said. “With T.J., he can play so many different positions, he probably plays more minutes when he starts. We’ve been having problems early on in the season. We’re just trying to get more of a rhythm going with our substitutions. T.J. is one of our most valuable guys. He played three different positions [on Saturday].”
While the Terriers have been in a funk recently and decimated with injuries, there have been some signs of positivity for them.
The freshman class has been a pleasant surprise for the Terriers all season long. First-year forward Matt McDonnell and midfielder Jerry Ozor have made a big impact this year, and Saturday’s showing was no different.
McDonnell was able to get off five shots against the Mountain Hawks, three of which were on goal.
“Matt gets himself into some good situations,” Roberts said. “He’s a good player and gets himself into good spots. You get some inconsistency with the young guys, but you do get some good things as well.”
The freshman duo has combined for 10 points on the year, and especially considering its injury dilemma, BU should rely on the them down the stretch.
BU will look to right the ship against the College of the Holy Cross for the Turnpike Trophy on Wednesday night in Worcester, and avoid going winless on the road for the entire regular season.
