Eleven months ago, the Boston University men’s soccer team faced Syracuse University in the NCAA tournament. On either bench sat BU defender Giuseppe Bagnato and forward Andrea Di Blasio — who, before he wore Terrier red, played for the Orange.

Now, junior Bagnato and sophomore Di Blasio are playing together at BU — but this isn’t the first time they’ve shared a pitch.

“[Our relationship] dates back a while,” Di Blasio said. “We played on the same youth development team since we were four … our parents became best friends, so in turn, we became best friends.”

Bagnato and Di Blasio, both raised in Brooklyn, New York, trained with the Brooklyn Italians, a youth soccer team. 

“We went through a time where the great Joe Barone was the head of the Brooklyn Italians, and he revolutionized soccer in the area,” Bagnato said. “[The sport] continues to grow. Now there are more guys going D1 in Brooklyn than ever.” 

The two reconnected through Metropolitan Oval Academy’s MLS Next pathway, where Bagnato spent two years before BU and Di Blasio joined him a year after. There, they felt part of something great.

“As a team, we felt we were going to win the MLS Next championship. That’s just the mentality we needed,” Di Blasio said. “We thought we were the best team, and I feel we showed that with the amount of talent that went to the next level.”

Their undeniable abilities earned them recruitments to D1 programs — Bagnato to BU and Di Blasio to Syracuse — where top talents vie for limited spots. But both players faced early play-time hurdles.

As a freshman, Bagnato appeared in just four matches for a total of 99 minutes, the third-fewest on the team.

“Freshman year was a rough go for me. I used to play club with Andrea and I used to be the starter … but [the coaching staff] has done well putting me through the system,” he said. “I’m happy with how it’s going [now] and can’t wait for more.”

The following season, Bagnato’s minutes increased fivefold as the Terriers surged to a conference title.

Meanwhile, at Syracuse, Di Blasio saw no gametime for the 2022 National Champion team that graduated five players to the MLS SuperDraft. He then played a total of 34 minutes in 2023.

After conference tournaments ended in 2023, the selection show pitted the former teammates’ new badges against one another.

“I already had a feeling before the selection came out that [we’d] get Syracuse,” Bagnato said. “Once the selection came out, I texted [Andrea] straight away like, ‘Well, I’ll see you in a bit.’” 

Though neither played in that game on Nov. 16, 2023, both players said they valued the chance to reconnect and put their journeys into perspective.

“It shows how far we’ve come as friends and as soccer players as well,” Di Blasio said.

After the game finished 3-1, BU’s postseason run ended against Syracuse, and the Orange lost the following round. 

The fall transfer portal opened that same month, which presented the opportunity for Di Blasio to reconsider his options.

“Before I went to Syracuse, my two decisions were either BU or Syracuse,” Di Blasio said. “I knew Nylen before I even came here, so having that in the back of my mind once I entered the portal was a big part of it.” 

He said Bagnato helped with the decision as well.

This season, with Di Blasio now a Terrier, the new teammates have shown vast improvement and heightened involvement. 

“There’s obviously a level of respect and a fond admiration and also responsibility of being a good friend and pushing each other,” BU head coach Kevin Nylen observed of the pair. “You don’t always see that at the collegiate level, two guys who’ve grown up together. They have a unique relationship.”

Individual drive and team motivation led Bagnato to a career-high five starts in just 12 games.

Di Blasio has similarly outdone himself. In half a season at BU, he has played in more than twice as many games than he did in two seasons at Syracuse. 

This included netting his first two career goals with Boston written across his chest against Army West Point, which propelled BU to its first conference win and earned him Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

“It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders. Once you get the first goal, you feel like you could get the second, third, fourth,” Di Blasio said. “Being able to play is the reason I transferred. I felt like at Syracuse I was limited, and here I feel like myself again.”

Di Blasio is rediscovering the unbridled enthusiasm that underlined his youth soccer career with his childhood friend by his side. This spirit was evident when the two beamed in celebration after Di Blasio’s game-winning goal.

“[That moment] reminded us of how we were back then,” Bagnato said. “I remember times where Andrea scored the winner against NYCFC Academy … It’s like, ‘Finally, we’re back on the pitch together, and we can finally enjoy the sport together.’”

The Brooklyn natives are hoping to have more chances to celebrate together as the Terriers play out the rest of the 2024 season.

“Coming off a Patriot League Championship … [I thought], ‘It’s gonna be a good year once I come here,’ Di Blasio said. “And I feel like we’re on track for that.”