Nothing has been guaranteed for the Boston University men’s soccer team this season, and a spot in the America East playoffs won’t be any different. While the Terriers have no chance of securing home field advantage for the postseason, they are fortunate enough to have the fate of their season entirely in their hands.
BU will continue molding that fate tonight at 7 p.m. on Nickerson Field, as the Terriers protect their house from a University of Hartford team that has been lurking in the shadows for weeks.
Most America East teams the Terriers (7-4-4, 2-3-1 America East) have faced this season have played a style that fits a similar mold, and Hartford (4-6-4, 2-4-0) is not much different. Teams have utilized a very conservative offensive gameplan at Nickerson-one which keeps players back defensively early in the game while they feel out their opponent, then capitalizes on Terrier mistakes late in the game.
Coach Neil Roberts said he expects a similar game against Hartford, but the Terriers must account for a few Hawks that are especially dangerous on the offensive side of the ball.
“They’ve got a little more dangerous players than other teams,” Roberts said. “They’ve got some people who can hurt you. You’ve got to know who they are.”
Leading the Hawks on offense is senior Kenniel Martin, whose six goals in 13 games make him the third-leading scorer in the conference. Two of Martin’s goals were game-winners, tying him with 11 other players (including the Terriers’ own Dan Schultz) in America East.
Behind Martin on Hartford’s score sheet is Kevin O’Donnell Shaw with three goals and Gary Muir with two. Eleven separate players have scored points for the Hawks this season.
Unlike in the University of Vermont and University at Albany games, when BU was forced to stay aggressive throughout regulation and overtime in an attempt to get some points, the Terriers now have the advantage of being the team ahead in the standings. Hartford will be forced to attack much more than its style would normally dictate.
“They’ve got to come at us,” Roberts said. “They’re in no place to play for a tie.”
Coming off one of the most up-and-down two-game stretches imaginable-one that featured a huge double overtime win against Vermont, followed by a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Albany-the Terriers are sitting on thin ice at fifth place in the conference. BU has seven conference points, right ahead of Hartford and Stony Brook University with six apiece.
Wins are worth three points while ties are worth one, so winning today and Saturday against a winless University of Maine team is the safest way for the Terriers to ensure the fifth seed in the playoffs. But with a victory over the Hawks tonight, they will at least be guaranteed sixth.
“It’s always a big game for both teams,” Roberts said. “We’ve got two games left to take care of business. We have got to make sure we get in the tournament.”
The prevalent theme of the Terriers’ entire season, and especially of their conference matches, has been a lack of luck on the offensive third of the field. On paper, the offense looks like it has been stagnant for weeks, but the truth is that they have never stopped attacking defenses and creating great opportunities. Simply put, the Terriers are due.
With 158 shots this season, BU has scored 16 goals in 15 games, which gives the team a 1.07 goals-per-game average, and puts them fifth among goals scored by conference teams. It’s hard to imagine any team ranking above the Terriers in should-have-been goals.
“There’s not a lot that I would change, the way they’re creating chances and playing defense,” Roberts said. “They are doing things the right way. We’re trying to turn the table a little bit. They have got to believe that their turn will come.”
The offense tonight will be without freshman forward Shaun Taylor, who has been out since September with a muscle strain but is considered day-to-day.