The Boston University men’s soccer team will be looking to bring an end to its two-game losing streak as they face off against the College of Holy Cross for the Turnpike Trophy in Worcester.
Wednesday night, the Terriers (2-6-2, 1-1 Patriot League) will face off against Holy Cross (2-3-4, 1-0-1 Patriot League), a team that has been unbeatable in its last three games with a 2-0-1 record.
BU head coach Neil Roberts identified the Crusaders as tough opponents.
“They’ve got a good young striker who’s playing well, and they even got a win against [University of Massachusetts] Lowell,” Roberts said. “They are always tight to score on. They are a solid team and don’t make a lot of mistakes, and you’ll have to earn anything you get.”
Freshman forward Simon Becher is leading the Crusaders with three goals and one assist.
Senior goalkeeper Henry Stutz gives Holy Cross strength at the back while ranking fourth in the league in save percentage with a .780.
The goalkeeper has posted 46 saves on the season and averages 5.11 saves per game, ranking first in the league in both categories.
The Crusaders’ most recent win against the No. 16 Lowell (6-3-2) was the team’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2002.
Sophomore midfielder Max Krause scored both of Holy Cross’ goals, his first tallies of the season.
The Riverhawks outshot the Crusaders 13-9 but forced Stutz to make only three saves.
The last time Holy Cross and the Terriers faced off against each other was in the 2017 Patriot League semifinal with the Crusaders going on to win on penalties.
BU currently averages 1.30 goals a game but 1.90 goals against.
“Our possession was good, but we didn’t defend as much,” Roberts said. “Being able to control the game was a good thing. We didn’t give up many opportunities, and it was a shame we couldn’t keep the goal a little longer.”
Roberts singled out freshman defender Nate Cole and senior defender Josh Barkoff for praise, and, in particular, labeled Barkoff’s performance as “warrior-like.”
The Terriers have had a slow start to the season, with their first win coming in the fourth game of the season and their second coming against American University Sept. 22.
In their last outing, fell to Lehigh University in overtime, with the Mountain Hawks (5-4-1, 2-0 Patriot League) grabbing a winner in the 93rd minute.
The game against Holy Cross will also end BU’s stretch of three consecutive home games.
On the road, the Terriers have won none of their four away games this season but have taken three out of the four into overtime.
Roberts, however, denied that away games have any effect on play — after the first 15 minutes — and spoke to the necessity of a conference win following the team’s recent losses
“The morale is down,” Roberts said. “The last two games they feel they should have won and they let them get away, and that’s disappointing. … We have no choice and have to get three points.”
