GAMENOTES: Boston University vs. St. John's
November 23, 2004 | Men's Soccer
WHO: Boston University Terriers (10-7-3, 6-2-1) vs. No. 11 St. John's University WHEN: Tuesday, November 23, 4:00 p.m. WHERE: Belson Stadium, Queens, N.Y.
TERRIERS ADVANCE TO NCAA SECOND ROUND After battling to a 2-2 double-overtime tie, Boston University eliminated Dartmouth College with a 4-3 shoot-out victory in an NCAA College Cup First Round game at Nickerson Field on Friday, Nov. 19. It marked the second time in as many games that B.U. extended its season by winning in penalty kicks. The Terriers captured the 2004 America East Championship title after tying Binghamton, 2-2, and winning 5-3 in penalty kicks. The winner of the B.U. - St. John’s game advances to the third round and will face the victor of the No. 6 UCLA - Loyola-Marymount second round game. The third round game will be played at the highest remaining seed on Nov. 27 or 28.
MEET HEAD COACH NEIL ROBERTS Head coach Neil Roberts has led the Terriers to 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament during his 20-year tenure. Roberts, the reigning America East Coach of the Year, has coached the Terriers in 15 NCAA games, winning on five occasions. Roberts has coached the Terriers to an unprecedented 20 consecutive winning seasons dating back to his first season at the helm in 1985. During his first season, he led the Terriers to the NCAA Quarterfinals, posting a 14-4-1 overall record. A four-time America East Coach of the Year, Roberts entered the 2004 season ranked 36th among winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history. In 20 seasons, he has posted an overall record of 241-107-51, boasting a .668 winning percentage. A native of Braintree, Mass., Roberts has coached 11 All-Americans and seven Academic All-Americans.
AGAINST THE TOURNAMENT FIELD B.U. and St. John’s have played on just two occassions, with the Terriers winning both games. In the first-ever meeting, B.U. shut out St. John’s, 2-0, on Sept. 7, 1980. The Terriers then played the Red Storm in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament, winning 2-1 on Nov. 13. B.U. and UCLA have met four times in the last 25 years, with the two teams each winning twice. The Terriers won the first-ever meeting, 3-2, on Sept. 7, 1979. Two years later, B.U. won again, defeating UCLA, 3-1, on Sept. 16, 1981. The two teams did not play for another decade, until UCLA earned a 2-0 victory on Sept. 8, 1991. The Bruins won the most recent meeting, 4-1, on Aug. 30, 2002. Should B.U. advance to play Loyola-Marymount, it would be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in men’s soccer.
TERRIERS AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT Boston University has made 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and is making its first appearance since 1997. B.U. made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1980 under head coach Ron Cervasio. The Terriers posted a 14-3-1 record to earn an at-large bid, but dropped a 6-0 decision to Connecticut in the first round on Nov. 22. The Terriers made their first appearance under head coach Neil Roberts in 1985, defeating Connecticut, 2-1, on penalty kicks on Nov. 24. B.U. advanced to the quarterfinals where it lost to Hartwick, 1-0, on Dec. 1. B.U. returned to the tournament in 1986, falling to cross-town rival Harvard, 2-1, on Nov. 23. After missing the tourney in 1987, B.U. made it back in 1988, and defeated Connecticut, 3-1, in the first round game on Nov. 13. B.U. fell to eventual national champion Indiana, 3-1, in Bloomington on Nov. 20. B.U. hosted its first-ever home NCAA game in 1990, defeating Boston College, 3-2, on Nov. 11. The Terriers lost to top-ranked Evansville, 1-0, in overtime on Nov. 18. Ranked 11th in the nation, B.U. lost to regional-rival Yale, 3-2, in the first round of the 1991 tourney on Nov. 17. In 1993, the Terriers started a string of five-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers shocked previously unbeaten St. John’s, 2-1, on Nov. 13 before losing a 2-1 overtime game to Hartwick on Nov. 21. In the most successful season in the history of the program, B.U. registered a 16-0-1 record in the 1994 regular season, ranking first in the nation in the final ISAA National Poll. The Terriers eliminated Harvard, 2-0, in the first round on Nov. 20 before falling to Brown, 3-2, on Nov. 27. For the second year in a row, Brown ended B.U.’s run in NCAA Tournament, knocking the Terriers out, 2-1, on Nov. 19, 1995. In 1996, B.U. drew a Harvard squad ranked in the Top 10 in the nation. The Crimson defeated the Terriers, 3-2, on Nov. 24. In the Terriers most recent trip to the NCAA’s, B.U. captured its last tourney win, defeating Long Island University, 1-0, in the play-in game on Nov. 15. B.U. then dropped a 5-1 decision to Dartmouth on Nov. 23.
GAME RECAP: B.U. 2, DARTMOUTH 2 (4-3) The Boston University men’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after battling to a 2-2 double-overtime tie with Dartmouth, before edging the Big Green, 4-3, in penalty kicks at Nickerson Field on Friday, Nov. 19. Sophomore goalkeeper Chad Comroe made two diving saves and four Terriers netted their penalty kicks to give B.U. a 4-3 advantage in the shootout. The Terriers got on the scoreboard in the opening minutes of play when junior midfielder Jamie Johnson sent a long pass into the far right corner of the scoring box. Freshman forward Roland Erlichman collected the pass and found senior midfielder Federico Bianchi for a goal at 13:45. Dartmouth (7-3-7) evened the score when Mark Limpert netted a pass from Scott Darci at 24:34. The Big Green took its only lead of the game when Darci raced down the right side and found Amar Takhar open for a goal at 61:04. Junior midfielder Sedrick Chin provided the equalizer, firing a loose ball in the scoring box into the left side of the goal at 79:36. Johnson again set up the score, lifting a free kick from 40-yards out into the scoring area. In 20 minutes of overtime play, Dartmouth was held without a shot while B.U. was limited to just two chances on net. Dartmouth goalkeeper Rowan Anders and Comroe each had five saves in the 110 minutes of action. In penalty kicks, Darci had his shot into the left side of the goal blocked by a diving Comroe. Johnson scored to give B.U. a 1-0 lead before Oliver Harker-Smith evened the score, 1-1, with a goal in the left corner. Sophomore back Derek Puerta had his shot bounce off the right post and Dartmouth took a 2-1 lead when Michael Ordonez connected on his shot. B.U. senior back Erik Evjen and Dartmouth’s P.J. Scheufele netted goals as Dartmouth held a 3-2 lead. Erlichman evened the score with a low shot in the right corner. Comroe punched out Takhar’s shot on the right side before senior forward Brian Conway netted the game-winner with a shot into the top right of the net.
