The No. 15/16 Boston University men’s soccer team was desperate for a goal late in its game against the University of New Hampshire at Nickerson Field on Wednesday, but came up short in a devastating 2-1 upset.
Sophomore Michael Bustamante scored his first goal of the season and the lone goal for the Terriers (7-3-2, 1-1 America East). The sophomore midfielder had three great opportunities to score, acting as the offensive spark for the Terriers.
However, his efforts were in vain. BU could not keep a sustained attack against a tough Wildcats defense and in general looked frustrated.
‘We definitely controlled the game,’ Bustamante said. ‘We had them on most possessions of the ball. It’s just sad to see a team come not to play, that just holds back. But that’s the game and we just have to battle through it. We have to play quicker. The guys were just going through the motions out there.’
The usually stingy Terrier defense fell apart in the second half, allowing the Wildcats (4-5-1, 1-0 AE) to launch multiple incursions into the penalty pox. The Terriers seemed frustrated on offense for most of the second half. They finished the game with a huge lead in shots, 19-6, but were unable to come up with a tying goal.
The loss is the Terriers first in America East conference play and could be a blow to their national ranking. UNH prevented BU from continuing a five-game undefeated streak.
BU coach Neil Roberts was disappointed with his team’s loss and especially its lack of a killer instinct in the first half.
‘The urgency wasn’t there,’ Roberts said. ‘Not in the second half but in the first half after we scored. [UNH’s] gameplan worked. We have to establish a flank, and we didn’t do that.’
The Terriers started things on a positive note, scoring on a free kick at 32:15. Junior Matthew Shea drew the penalty on an aggressive push into box, leaving Bustamante with an opportunity to score.
Winding up a huge kick, the sophomore fired and sent a hooking shot around the wall of Wildcat defenders. The ball curved into the back of the net, just beyond junior Collin O’Donnell’s reach and put the Terriers up 1-0.
The Wildcats struck back just over five minutes later. Senior Chris Banks got the ball in Terrier territory and pushed into the penalty box, but was quickly surrounded by BU’s defense. He passed the ball off to freshman Jordan Thomas, who charged in for the tying goal.
The Terriers halted several attempts by the Wildcats in the first half to score the equalizer, turning them away each time even with blue jerseys swarming the goal.
Bustamante had a great opportunity to get his second goal of the season on another free kick in the second half. Lining up his shot, Bustamante fired away but his shot bounced harmlessly off the crossbar.
UNH scored its game-winning goal with a little over 15 minutes left. The Wildcats’ corner kick dropped right to Banks, who was waiting near the left side of the Terriers’ goal. His header sailed over BU senior Hrafn Davidsson into the right side of the net.
Banks lived up to his reputation as a serious offensive threat. The senior was the America East Rookie of the Year as a freshman, finishing that season with 14 goals.
The overall record between the teams now sits at 22-17-9, a series that stretches back to 1966. The Terriers have not beaten the Wildcats at Nickerson Field since 2003. All of the games since them have been 0-0 draws until Wednesday.
