Men's Soccer Season-in-Review
April 1, 1999 | Men's Soccer
BOSTON, Mass. -- Despite not winning its unprecedented sixth straight America East title, the Boston University men's soccer team continued its fine tradition under head coach Neil Roberts and finished with a respectable 11-4-3 final mark in 1998.
The Terriers came into 1998 with ten returning letterwinners, eight of whom were starters. Two-time First Team All-America East selections Sigurd Dalen and Christian Steen would be looked upon to lead the forward and midfield positions, respectively, while senior goalkeeper Brian Murphy would be charged with the duty of keeping the net empty.
The season started strongly for B.U., as the team was able to rip off four straight wins. The team opened its 1998 schedule at home on September 1 with a 3-0 win over Massachusetts. Sophomore forward Frank Vigliotti netted two goals for the Terriers and Murphy made six saves to record the shutout. Freshman forward Joachim Kaland also scored his first career goal for the Terriers.
On September 6, Murphy made eight saves to earn his second consecutive clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Boston College. Sophomore midfielder Matt McManus scored the only goal of the match.
Three days later the team returned home to open the conference schedule against New Hampshire. Murphy finally allowed a goal, but Vigliotti and junior midfielder Tony Piperno each found the net as the Terriers held on for a 2-1 win.
On September 13, as B.U. squared off against Rhode Island in a non-conference match. The Terriers steamrolled the Rams, 5-0, with Vigliotti tallying three goals. Christian Steen added one goal and two assists, and Murphy was forced to make only one save to preserve the shutout.
The Terriers were finally solved by Stanford in the first round of the UMBRO/HYPERTHERM Classic, held September19-20 in Hanover, NH. B.U. dropped the opening round game to the Cardinal, 3-0, but rebounded in the consolation to beat Ivy League foe Pennsylvania, 2-1. Joachim Kaland and Dalen each scored for the Terriers.
The next two games for the Terriers each went into double-overtime, the first of which ended in a 1-1 draw at America East-rival Maine, on September 26. Three days later, B.U. lost a 2-1 double-overtime heartbreaker at home to Harvard. Dalen scored the only goals for B.U. in each of the double-overtime matches.
Having closed out September with a 5-2-1 record, the Terriers looked to continue their success into October. They started on the right foot with a 1-0 shutout over conference foe Towson. Murphy returned to form making five saves for the home club, and Kaland netted the only goal of the match off a pretty feed from Steen.
The Terriers followed with another strong showing, this time against Delaware. Dalen scored twice in the 3-1 win, and Bone added one goal and one assist in the winning cause.
The team then faced a four-game road trip that opened on October 9. The Terriers dropped the first game of the trip, 1-0, at Drexel. The team came back two days later with a 1-0 victory at Hofstra, a game that saw Murphy come up big, making eight saves for his fifth shutout of the season.
After playing to a scoreless, double-overtime draw at Dartmouth on October 14, B.U. took it hard to Hartwick, drilling three goals in a 3-0 shutout. Murphy stopped two shots, and Dalen tallied two goals and an assist in the winning effort.
On October 23, B.U. defeated Hartford, 2-1, at Nickerson Field. Senior midfielder Chris Reno scored one goals and Dalen netted the game-winner in the first of back-to-back overtime games for the Terriers. Two days later, the team battled Vermont to a double-overtime overtime tie.
The Terriers closed out the regular season with a 2-1 victory over cross-town nemesis Northeastern. Steen scored one goal and set up Dalen's game-winner.
For the first time in five years, however, the Terriers were unable to win a postseason game, falling in the first round of the America East Tournament, 2-0, to third-seeded Drexel. Brian Murphy made six saves, but it was not enough.
Five Terriers were named to the America East All-Conference First Team. Steen and senior back Dean Smith each earned their third consecutive first-team all-conference selections. Dalen received his third consecutive all-conference selection, having been named to the second-team in 1996 and to the first-team in 1997. Dalen, who finished the season second in the league in scoring with 25 points (10 goals, 5 assists), also earned NSCAA Second Team All-American honors.
Junior back Bryan Devenney also received his second consecutive first-team nod, while Murphy captured his first-ever all-conference selection as the league's top goalkeeper. Murphy finished the season first in the league in goals-against-average (0.72).
