Soccer Team Ranked 18th In National Poll
November 5, 2001 | Men's Soccer
The Terrier men's soccer team, on the strength of an 8-0-1 record in its last nine games and winners of the America East regular-season title, are ranked 18th in the nation in the most recent poll.
Overall, B.U. is 13-4-1 entering the America East post-season tournament. They will host either Hofstra or Northeastern on Saturday night (November 10th) at 7:00 p.m. In the other semifinal game, second-seeded Hartford will host either Towson or New Hampshire also on Saturday.
If the Terriers win their match, they will host the America East championship game on Saturday, November 17th.
At the midpoint of the season on October 5th, the Terriers were 5-4-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the conference. Their league record included a 2-0 win over Northeastern and a 2-0 loss to Hofstra.
Their next match was at Drexel on October 7th, and the Terriers came away with a 2-1 overtime win. It served as a catalyst, as the team continued on a streak that saw eight wins and a tie over their final nine games. After the victory over Drexel, the Terriers battled New Hampshire to a 2-2 overtime tie. Then came wins over Maine, Albany, Stony Brook, Hartford, Vermont, Delaware, and Towson.
"I am very excited that our players have been recognized for this streak," said Neil Roberts, who is concluding his 17th year as the Terrier head coach with a career record of 214-85-42. He has never had a losing season, and this year marks the 14th time in his 17-year career that his team has won at least 10 games.
"We have put together a very strong performance over the past nine games," the coach went on. "It has not been easy because we have had to make a number of personnel changes either because of injuries or personal problems that a couple of our players have had.
"As a result, we have had to make tactical adjustments as frequently as one game to another," Roberts said. "But, the guys have adjusted well each time we have had to make changes.
"This team has really matured during the course of the season, and, as a coach, it has been very enjoyable to watch," concluded Roberts.
