The Boston University men’s soccer team tied in Newton against Boston College with a final score of 2-2.
The Battle of Comm Ave. ended in a tie after the Terriers (4-2-1, 1-0-0 Patriot League) came from behind on the scoreboard twice.
The game had an intense start. Within the first minute, senior midfielder Andrew Rent had a chance to score, but the Eagles’(2-2-3) senior goalkeeper Leon Musial deflected the ball with the tip of his foot. Throughout the game, Rent managed to create chances for the Terriers with speed that made him difficult to defend.
The first BC goal came from a penalty kick off the foot of junior midfielder Aidan Farwell in the 21st minute of the first half. BU would even the score minutes later with a freekick from graduate student midfielder Quinn Matulis that deflected off Musial’s hands into the net.
“Sometimes [the game] is easy when you are on top or if you are winning, but sometimes you have to be able to respond and not waver,” head coach Kevin Nylen said. “Our guys did a very good job tonight in terms of their mental focus and their fortitude.”
In the first half, the Terriers controlled the game and had most of the possession. Even though BC also created chances, the team maintained their composure in the back and the midfield.
In the 43rd minute, BU fell again as BC scored a late first-half goal. BC sophomore midfielder Augustine Boadi’s kick was deflected off the foot of Terrier senior defender Griffin Roach, sending the ball out of the reach of senior goalkeeper Francisco Montali and into the back of the net.
“Our guys were really good in the first half. Specifically, there were times in the second half we defended for a spell from about 20 [minutes] to a little under 10. That’s part of the game,” Nylen said.
In the 52nd minute, Rent scored the second Terrier goal of the night after a BC defensive mistake. In an attempt to clear the ball, the central defender, BC sophomore CJ Williams, passed the ball back to Musial and ran over him. Rent managed to steal the ball and secure it in the goal past the sliding attempt of Eagles’ junior defender Diego Ochoa in the absence of Musial.
The end of the game was composed of more offensive intensity from the Eagles. However, BU had their shares of chances and even managed to score a late third goal that was taken back due to an offsides call.
“To come back in the second half to tie it and to possibly have a couple of more chances, I tip my hat to our guys,” Nylen said. “That was something we needed to see. I was happy with the overall performance regardless of the result of a draw.”
The Terriers look to move forward to their next Patriot League game away against American University this Saturday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m.
“We handled [the BC game] very well,” Nylen said. “We focus on ourselves. Now it’s rest, recover, and now we shift our focus to American.”
