More than 2,000 fans were in attendance at Nickerson Field Friday night to witness the home opener for the Boston University men’s soccer team against the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Drawn in by a barbecue and free T-shirts, the large BU crowd was treated to an exciting 3-1 Terrier win.
Freshman midfielder Sedrick Chin fueled the BU attack, scoring one goal and adding two assists as the Terriers (1-1-1, 0-0-0 America East) posted their first win of the season after going 0-1-1 in a weekend series on the West Coast last weekend.
Chin said he believes as long as he does his job on the field, he hopes to contribute in each game this season.
“I just played my game,” he said. “I got some good opportunities, and I just have to stick to my game and be a part of Coach’s plan.”
The BU squad dominated most of the first half, as junior forward Alan McNamara deflected a shot by Chin past Massachusetts goalkeeper Enzo Altomare at 21:20 to put the Terriers up, 1-0.
The Minutemen seemed deflated going into halftime, and BU looked to dominate the final 45 minutes of action. Throughout the second half, the BU offense looked strong as the midfield fueled the attack.
BU Head Coach Neil Roberts said he believed the team played a stronger offensive game against the Minutemen than during their trip to California.
“We actually defended better over the [previous] weekend, but we attacked better today,” he said. “We got the backs into it a little more tonight.”
Chin scored his first collegiate goal off a feed from senior defenseman David Fahey at 78:07. Fahey sent a long ball across the box to a wide-open Chin who fired the ball to the back of the net to put the Terriers up 2-0.
The Minutemen answered just minutes later as senior Jeff Deren knocked a pass from senior Derek Rhodes into the back of the Terrier net at 79:08. The pressure was on as the lead was narrowed to one goal.
Despite an offensive flare by Massachusetts in the final minutes of regulation, Terrier senior E.A. Carr closed the door for a Minuteman comeback by slamming home his first career goal on a breakaway at 88:53.
While BU displayed dominance throughout the game, Roberts said he believed there is plenty the team needs to work on in the next few weeks.
“There are still a few more pieces we need to put together,” he said. “It was good to get a win, and we just need to keep on improving.”
The Terriers seemed to lose ground to Massachusetts in the midfield at many phases in the first quarter. The Minutemen had a number of key breakaways in the first half which could have been devastating for the squad, but the breakaways all resulted in failed attempts to score.
Roberts said he believes this year’s freshmen will contribute a lot for the team.
“Throwing them into their first game against [the University of California at Los Angeles] is definitely throwing them into the fire,” Roberts said. “There will be more coming on with time, and I’m happy with what I’m seeing.”
Senior goalkeeper Matt Smith had his first win of the season with two saves and one goal against on the evening. Minuteman goalkeeper Altomare had three saves.
BU will have a chance to improve their record this Tuesday, Sept. 10, at home against Fairfield University.