The Boston University men’s soccer team is still without a win after two weeks into the season.
With four ties, the Terriers (0-0-4) haven’t yet lost, but head coach Kevin Nylen said his team did not execute in its 1-1 display against Saint Mary’s College of California on Thursday.
“I think it could be one of the worst performances since we’ve been here as a staff, and I think the guys would agree,” Nylen said.
The first half was uneventful for the Terriers, who could not break through the Gaels’ defense (1-2-1) except for a couple high-sailing shots and a hit post while facing three shots on goal. The third shot passed junior goalkeeper Ben Alexander in his second start for BU this season.
“We were pretty impatient in the first half, and it played into their hands,” Nylen said. “So it’s tough to go into halftime with that being the scoreline.”
The second half began with momentum largely swung in the direction of the visitors. The Terriers barely threatened the Gael goal for 26 minutes –– until junior midfielder Diego Rived found senior midfielder Daniel Kim, who tied the score 1-1 in the middle of the second half with a left-footed, long-range shot from just beyond the penalty arc. In this late-afternoon duel at Nickerson Field, the crowd erupted.
“I had to have some personality and take the [defender] on, so I just let [Rived’s] ball go through, took it and didn’t really think about it, just hit the ball and it went in,” Kim said.
With the scoreboard even and both teams ready to scrap for the win, tensions flared as Kim and Saint Mary’s forward Wade Muttitt tussled on the field. Kim received a yellow card while Muttitt was booked with a red, which put the Gaels a man down with about seven minutes remaining.
Nearly thirty seconds later, Alexander made two successive saves before Gael midfielder Cesar Batres received a red card, leaving the visitors with three minutes on the field.
“I think trying to get that first win against a big team is what we’re trying to get at, so maybe that’s why there’s big pressure,” Kim said.
The Terriers, with just over 120 seconds to make the most of a two-man advantage, recorded a singular wide shot. Upon the final whistle, the team found themselves still in search of a first win.
This matchup wasn’t all bad news for BU, however, as the team extended its unbeaten streak, dating back to 2023, at Nickerson Field to 12 games.
“Although we don’t have a win, [we’re] four games in and we’re still undefeated, and that has some value to it,” Kim said. “We just don’t want to lose … I hope we can continue that, but in the next game on Sunday with a win.”
The Terriers have one more non-conference game in this early-season run to iron out the wrinkles before conference play begins on Sept. 14. The Terriers will play against Army West Point to close out a three-game homestand.
“I’d love for us to start better, and I think the guys would agree,” Nylen said. “Then from there, I’d love for us to try to put two halves of soccer together, something that we haven’t seen at this point.”
BU’s next chance to do so is tonight at a 6 p.m. kickoff at Nickerson Field, where they will face the Broncos of Santa Clara University for the first time since a BU loss in 2007, the only game in history between the teams.
“We can’t just focus on winning. We’ve got to focus on everything that leads up to that point,” Nylen said. “I don’t know if we’ve done a good enough job, and that starts with us as a staff … but we’ll recover, we’ll prep and hope that we have a better performance.”
