Although the No. 22 Boston University men’s soccer team was able to pull out a victory against Lafayette College Saturday, it didn’t come easy.
Before the afternoon game against the Leopards (5-7-2, 1-4 Patriot League), senior defender Kelvin Madzongwe, junior defender Jeroen Blugh and sophomore midfielder David Asbjornsson were all listed as out – Madzongwe due to a red card received in Tuesday’s game against Dartmouth College and Blugh and Asbjornsson due to injury.
Without some of his key players in the backfield, BU coach Neil Roberts was forced to start players with less experience.
While freshman defender Bjarki Benediktsson took his usual spot on defense for the Terriers (10-2-1, 5-0 Patriot League), junior midfielder Richie Robinson, senior defender Sanford Spivey and sophomore defender Duff Bedrosian made up the rest of the backfield. Even with the fresh faces, Roberts stayed true to his game plan.
“We didn’t really change what we wanted to do,” Roberts said. “We just changed the people and changed their roles. That was really the only thing that changed a little bit. We tried to play like we normally play, which is not easy when you make that many changes, but they did a good job.”
Without its leaders, the defense was able to continue the great success that it has maintained all season. In a game where the Leopards were constantly battling with the Terriers for possession, the Terriers came out on top because of their defensive play.
Senior forward Dominique Badji was covered heavily throughout the game, giving him few chances. However, this opened the field up for others like Robinson, who scored his first goal in a Terrier uniform in the 25th minute.
“It feels great,” Robinson said about the goal. “I just want to thank God and my friends for just believing in me, as well as my team. I’m just real happy.”
Robinson, who played as a defensive midfielder, was back stopping the Leopards attack on the very next play. Overall, the Leopards outshot the Terriers by a tally of 14-12. Only five of the Leopards’ shots were on goal, however, and many others came from well outside the box, as the defense kept them from making it anywhere near the net for much of the game.
The Leopards’ only goal came off defensive miscues, showing the inexperienced defensive core isn’t perfect, but definitely effective.
The Terriers have only allowed two goals in their last five games, with a large part of that credit going to senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson, who’s notched six shutouts this season.
While Madzongwe is normally the one who sets up offensive charges from the backfield, Bedrosian stepped up in his first start of the season, constantly playing up field and creating opportunities to score. A few of his passes into the middle were inaccurate, but the Somers, New York, native showed excellent field vision.
Benediktsson was the veteran on defense Saturday. After being knocked down and taking a hard fall just 39 seconds into the match, Benediktsson was able to bounce back up and help the defense stop most of the Leopards’ chances. Overall, Roberts was very impressed with the way his team adapted in the wake of adversity.
“[Freshman defender] Adam Sheikali did a great job,” Roberts said when asked who stepped up for the defense. “Duff [Bedrosian] did a good job, Richie, Sandy. And of course, Bjarki has been so steady for us.”
