The Calm Before the Storm

The Boston University men’s soccer team will look to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history today when it travels to Queens, N.Y., to take on No. 3 St. John’s University at 5 p.m.

The Terriers (12-5-3) and Red Storm (16-2-3) met on Sept. 12, with St. John’s coming away with a 1-0 victory. The game was a defensive struggle until sophomore midfielder Ale Ivo broke the scoreless tie in the 74th minute with a header off a free kick from classmate Tadeu Terra.

That game confirmed what BU already knew about the Red Storm.

‘You can’t make mistakes and you have to take advantage of your opportunities,’ BU coach Neil Roberts said. ‘Last time, we had some chances. We just didn’t finish. I think we’ll have some chances again this time. It’s just a matter of doing something with them.’

While that statement sounds clich’eacute; and applies to any soccer game, making the most of their opportunities will be particularly crucial for the Terriers today because St. John’s simply doesn’t allow many chances.

The Red Storm defense, led by Big East Defender of the Year Joel Gustafsson and senior goalkeeper Neal Kitson, ranks first in the country with a 0.36 goals-against average. Kitson also leads the nation with a .920 save percentage. St. John’s has allowed more than one goal just once this season ‘-‘- a 2-1 loss at the University of Louisville on Oct. 4.

‘As a unit, they defend very well ‘-‘- from their strikers all the way back to their backs,’ Roberts said. ‘They’re built around quickness and pressure. We have to be patient with the ball and make them chase us.’

That means BU midfielders Michael Bustamante, Aaron O’Neal, Ben Berube and Samuel Appiah will be counted on to find open space and make crisp passes into forwards Shaun Taylor, Stephen Knox and Jin Oh.

Oh has been the hero for the Terriers this postseason. The senior recorded the first goal of BU’s 2-1 America East semifinal win over the University of Vermont and the only goal in the team’s defeat of Binghamton University in the conference championship game.

He made it three straight games with a goal last Friday night, again scoring the game’s lone tally to vault the Terriers past Fairleigh Dickinson University and into the second round of the NCAAs.

Roberts said Oh will continue to be counted on to provide a spark off the bench, and that Oh could see just as much playing time as the starters depending on the flow of the game.

Thanks to its top-ranked defense, St. John’s doesn’t have to be great offensively. The Red Storm, which ranks 73rd in goals per game, has eight 1-0 triumphs this season.

Roberts emphasized that his defense, which has allowed just three goals in its last 10 games, will have to continue to perform at a high level and not create chances for its opponent.

‘We can’t foul and we can’t turn the ball over in bad areas of the field,’ Roberts said. ‘When we foul, it’s because we turn the ball over and have to chase.’

While BU has not lost since Oct. 4, St. John’s, which earned a first-round bye, is looking to rebound from its second loss of the season. After winning the Big East regular-season title and knocking off Providence College and DePaul University in the first two rounds of the conference tournament, the Red Storm fell to the University of South Florida in the championship game, 1-0, in overtime.

The Terriers have met St. John’s twice before in the NCAA Tournament. In 1993, they knocked off the Red Storm in the first round, 2-1. St. John’s returned the favor in the second round of the 2004 tourney, downing BU, 3-1.