Terriers Host Hartford in Regular Season Finale
October 31, 2008 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 31, 2008
Watch | Listen | Gametracker
BOSTON - The Boston University men's soccer team will look to close out the regular season with a victory against Hartford on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Nickerson Field. The Terriers (8-5-3, 5-1-1 AE) enter the contest in a first-place tie with Albany in the America East standings, while the Hawks (7-6-3, 3-3-1 AE) sit in fifth.
A BU win combined with an Albany draw or loss against Vermont on Sunday would give the Terriers the No. 1 seed and sole ownership of the regular-season conference title, as the Great Danes currently hold the tie breaker. A Saturday loss or draw could result in the Terriers remaining in second or dropping as far as fourth, depending on the outcome of the other conference games.
BU extended its unbeaten streak to six games last weekend with a 3-0 shutout victory at UMBC. The Terriers started the year 0-3-1 after facing four nationally-ranked squads, but since then have gone 8-2-2, outscoring opponents 23-9. BU has shut out a total of seven opponents, including four of the last six contests.
Junior Shaun Taylor tallied his team-leading eighth goal of the year last Saturday at UMBC. He entered the week fourth in the conference in points with 18 and second in game-winning goals with four. After posting an assist in the same game, freshman Michael Bustamante now sits in sole possession of fourth in the league with seven total, one ahead of sophomore Aaron O'Neal. Senior keeper Hrafn Davidsson holds the league's fifth-best goals against average (GAA) at 0.94 along with a .769 save percentage.
Hartford started their conference slate on a strong note, winning the first three games to improve their record to 7-3-2. However, since a 2-0 victory over Maine, the team has cooled off, posting a 0-3-1 record. The Hawks dropped a 1-0 decision at Vermont on Wednesday after recording a 1-1 draw with Stony Brook last Saturday. Junior Carlos Villa leads the America East in goals scored with 11 and is tied for first in points with 25. Junior Nenad Cudic has played in nine games, recording a 1.17 GAA and .804 save percentage.
BU leads the all-time series, 17-7-2, and are currently riding a four-game unbeaten streak. Last year at Hartford, the two teams left the pitch with a 1-1 draw. The Hawks scored first at 11:19 and seemed to be on the way to victory, but O'Neal tied the score in the 84th minute to send the contest to overtime. In 2006, Petur Sigurdson scored the lone goal on the Terriers' Senior Day.
The first round of the America East tournament takes place next Saturday (Nov. 8). If the Terriers earn the bye, they will play on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
