BOX SCORE
BOSTON ??? Senior forward Sedrick Chin (St. Mary, Jamaica) scored two goals and assisted on another, as the Boston University men???s soccer team exploded for three second-half goals to pull away from Harvard 3-0 Tuesday night at Nickerson Field. The victory was BU???s second consecutive shutout ??? after having not blanked an opponent in any of its first 10 games ??? and improved the Terriers??? record to 5-6-1 overall. Harvard lost its fourth straight, and after a 4-1-1 start to the season, the Crimson fell to 4-5-1.
The game was played in varying degrees of precipitation, with a clear night turning into a steady rain and ending in a soggy mist, which surrounded the field. The elements made for a very slick field, and neither team could find the back of the net in the first half. BU???s best chance came on a point blank shot from Chin on the left side, but Harvard keeper Ryan Johnson made a spectacular save to keep the game scoreless through the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, BU put together a terrific set of passes to break the ice in the 59th minute. Zach Kirby (Marietta, Ga.) sent in a ball from near midfield, which turned into a foot-race between junior back Felix Vincent (Old Lyme, Conn.) and Harvard???s on-rushing keeper, Johnson. Vincent got to the ball a split second early and hit it with the outside of his foot, chipping the ball high over Johnson. Chin, sprinting in from the right side, one-touched the ball into the vacated net and gave BU a lead it would not relinquish.
???I thought we did a terrific job of maintaining possession in the second half and we created some great opportunities,??? said Terrier head coach Neil Roberts. ???I was pleased that we were able to finish like we did and it was a great effort. Roland [Erlichman] and Sedric finally got the chance to play well together.???
The aforementioned Erlichman (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) gave BU some breathing room when he scored his second goal of the season in the 81st minute. Neil Hlavaty (Lombard, Ill.) touched the ball to Chin who passed it to Erlichman for a blast from just outside the goal box and an emphatic 2-0 Terrier lead. Chin would put the game away with an insurance goal four minutes later. He took a clearing pass and after a terrific individual effort, beat three Harvard defenders with a hard right foot and the Terriers??? third goal of the game.
The explosion from Chin nearly doubled his scoring output for the season. Coming into the game, he had two goals and three assists for seven points. His season stats improved to four goals and four assists for 12 points after Tuesday???s effort. The Terriers out-shot Harvard 19-8, including 14-4 in the second half. BU???s defense was stellar, allowing the Crimson to put just one shot on frame, which was cleanly saved by junior keeper Chad Comroe (Dallas, Texas). The one shot could have tied the game midway through the second half, but Comroe made an excellent outstretched save on a shot by Harvard???s Jeremy Tchou in the 64th minute. Comroe earned his first win of the season, improving to 1-4 and recording his first shutout.
BU returns to action this weekend when the Terriers travel to West Hartford, Conn., to take on America East rival Hartford at 7 p.m.
