With a strong defense but no goals to show for it, Boston University matched Lafayette in a 0-0 tie on Wednesday night at Nickerson Field.
BU (2-2-4, 0-1-1 Patriot League) went into the match against Lafayette (6-2-1, 1-0-1 Patriot League) undefeated at home, going 1-0-2, and would keep that same achievement after the game’s conclusion.
“It’s a really good performance by our guys,” head coach Kevin Nylen said. “The unfortunate part [is] we [didn’t] find a goal. But at the end of the day, I think it’s still a good point for us at home.”
There was an aggressive theme throughout the game, with both BU and Lafayette combining for 34 fouls, 15 of which came from BU.
The Terrier defense was rock solid through and through, with excellent defense by senior defenders Gianluca Arlotti and Griffin Roach, along with great goalkeeping by senior goaltender Francesco Montali saving one goal while facing seven shots.
The Terriers were aggressive across the board on offense, with sophomore midfielder Brian Hernandez leading the team with four shots, junior midfielder Andrew Rent providing two shots of his own, and senior midfielder Colin Innes and freshman defenseman John Roman with a shot apiece.
A strong Terrier performance came from senior defenseman Ryan Lee, a substitute who played only 25 minutes, but managed to make himself present with two shots and a shot on goal.
A phenomenal attempt by Rent was made late into the second half, where he split the defense down the middle, but hit the ball up against the crossbar that could not be followed up for a goal.
BU had a combined 11 corner kicks in the game, a season high for the Terriers, but they could not convert them to goals. Lafayette’s senior goalkeeper Alex Sutton dominated around the posts, stopping every and any scoring attempt by BU.
This was the third consecutive game where BU failed to score a goal. The last goal scored was in a loss to the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Sept. 10.
However, Nylen is not bothered by the Terriers’ inability to finish opportunities.
“It’s going to come. You [have] to trust the process,” Nylen said. “Goals change games, 100%. But I also have to look at our group and what we did, and we really limited everything tonight. We had chances, we just didn’t finish, and so that will come. That’s a process.”
The Terriers hope to continue their home undefeated streak on Wednesday when they are set to face the United States Military Academy (4-2-2) at Nickerson Field.
