Coming off a commanding regular season and a Patriot League tournament title, the Boston University men’s soccer team is looking ahead to 2024.
During the 2023 season, the Terriers scored a tenure-high 31 goals from 10 contributors in 2023 with a +13 goal differential and a .90 goals-against-average.
“Last year was a culmination of our continued balance and continued preparation and transformation into a really strong program,” head coach Kevin Nylen said.
Despite the team’s current record of three ties, the offseason departures weigh heavy. This includes two-time Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Francesco Montali, two-time PL Defensive Player of the Year Griffin Roach and frequent midfield contributors Colin Innes and Quinn Matulis.
While roster turnover is inevitable in collegiate athletics, the upcoming season calls for greater adjustments.
“I know we have a group of midfielders that are going to be good for us and how we play, and the back line is going to continue as it always has and will to be really sharp and defensively oriented in terms of our team shape,” Nylen said.“But I’m excited for a little of the unknown.”
With a team made up of significant yet previously understated returners and strategic offseason recruiting, Nylen has worked through the “unknowns.” Senior midfielder Andrew Rent notched four assists and three goals last season for 10 points, the highest among returners.
“There were great players that made my job easy,” Rent said. “I didn’t have the glamor and goals that maybe our old teammate had, but I was consistent and reliable in my role.”
Rent’s performances last season coupled with continued preparations into 2024 helped land him All-Patriot League honors alongside junior defender Quin DeLaMater.
Junior midfielder Diego Rived, though unrecognized in preseason awards, is also seen by teammates as an integral piece.
Graduate student Andrew Wike described Rived as the “engine” of the team.
The team also has young promise in attack, with sophomore midfielder Jason Zacarias poised for a bigger role after four starts out of 20 appearances as a freshman. His potential breakout season could significantly boost a repeat campaign.
“We know from when we recruited [Zacarias] years ago…what he’s capable of, we know the type of player he is, having worked with him for the last year,” Nylen said. “I’m excited for his continued maturity.”
Defensively, juniors DeLaMater and Ryan Lau return with some of the most minutes with 1120 and 1304, respectively.
Without Montali in goal, the team still has options — Wike with four appearances from 2023-2024, sophomore William Clavier yet to start, junior Ben Alexander, a two-season starter at South Carolina and junior Sheraz Saadat.
“This year, we have four good goalkeepers,” Wike said. “Competition’s really good. We’re trying to be better than each other every day… We’re a very tight-knit group, and at the end of the day, we just want the goalie in the net to be successful.”
Nylen has integrated five transfers to boost the talent pool, including junior forward Damola Salami from South Carolina and sophomore Andrea Di Blasio from Syracuse.
“One of the things we’ve been able to do in our [recruiting] is be really selective and find good transfers to complement what we’re doing positionally from a depth-succession plan,” Nylen said.
Coming off a successful 2023 season, the Terriers landed second in the Patriot League preseason poll for a second season running, this time with 142 points and eight first-place votes.
The first Patriot League contest comes at home against Army West Point, with the potential to set a positive tone considering the Terriers’ 8-0-2 unbeaten record at Nickerson Field last year.
In-conference, the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds appear to be the greatest on-the-surface challenge, claiming the top ranking in the preseason poll with four players named to the all-league team.
Recently, the Terriers have handled the Greyhounds — a 3-1 victory in the twilight of the 2023 season securing a postseason bye for BU.
This year, the Terriers will take this test early and away from home — something they are looking forward to doing.
“[Loyola] came in ranked ahead of us in the preseason for whatever reason,” Wike said. “That preseason announcement was good bulletin-board material.”
At the start of the 2024 season, the Terriers have shown promise in three draws: holding #9 UNH to a shutout, Northeastern to 1-1 and another 1-1 result with help from Zacarias’ first entry in the goals column against Umass Lowell.
“We’re in the infancy of the season… so I think it’s a really good starting spot for our group,” Nylen said.
Getting deeper into 2024, Nylen and the Terriers will continue to settle into their new form, hoping to find similar success from their past in their new identity. The regular season finishes with road meetings against conference foes Navy and Holy Cross.
“I think now we have a culture where there is more confidence and trust and commitment in terms of competing every day, knowing that we’ll always be in every game,” Nylen said. “It’s a direct reflection of the guys living in the moment, being a team and being balanced.”
