Terriers Set to Host Fairleigh Dickinson in NCAA Tournament Action
November 21, 2008 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 21, 2008
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BOSTON - The America East conference champion Boston University men's soccer team (11-5-3, 6-1-1 AE) will look to extend its unbeaten streak to 10 games when it hosts Northeast conference champion Fairleigh Dickinson (13-5-2, 6-2-1 NE) in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament on Friday at Nickerson Field with a 5 p.m. start time. The Terriers last hosted a tournament game in 2004 against Dartmouth, while the Knights are making their first postseason appearance since losing to Binghamton, 1-0, at home in 2003.
BU will be making its 14th-overall appearance at the NCAAs and 13th, including five straight from 1993 to 1997, with 24th-year head coach Neil Roberts at the helm. Last season, the Terriers dropped a tough 2-1 decision at UMass in the first round. Their previous victory occurred in 2004 when they advanced on penalty kicks against Dartmouth.
Led by junior striker Shaun Taylor's nine goals, the Terrier offense is ranked 55th in the nation with a 1.63 goals scored per game average. BU has outscored opponents, 15-3, in the last nine games. A total of 10 players have at least recorded two goals during the year with another posting one of his own. Junior Tom Strackhouse is second on the team with four goals, while current Soccer America Team of the Week honoree Jin Oh has three after scoring one each in the America East semifinal and title games last week to earn the AE tournament Most Outstanding Player award.
America East Midfielder and Rookie of the Year Michael Bustamante is currently 11th in the NCAA for assists per game (0.53) after posting his ninth of the season against Vermont in the AE semifinals. 2007 AE Rookie of the Year Aaron O'Neal is third on the team in points with six assists and two goals.
Anchored by first-team all-conference back and third-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Dan Schultz, the BU defense is ranked 28th in the NCAA with a 0.47 shutout percentage and 32nd with a 0.81 goals against average. Senior keeper Hrafn Davidsson has earned seven solo shutouts, including one against then-No. 3 Connecticut, and two combined with junior Joe Cullaro. He currently holds a .775 save percentage and 0.85 goals against average (GAA).
The Knights are currently riding a four-game win streak after defeating Mount St. Mary's, 7-2, in the Northeast Conference title game. They have non-conference wins against Washington, Yale, Lehigh and Manhattan with losses against Portland, Dartmouth and Princeton. The No. 16 scoring offense (2.00 gpg) in the nation is led by junior Samson Malijani who is second in the nation with a 2.16 points per game average. He has a total of 18 goals and five assists for 41 points. Freshman Paul King is second on the team with nine goals and two assists.
Defensively, junior Majdi Zaineh has started in 14 games and is 17th in the country with a 5.29 saves per game average and 38th overall with a .822 save percentage. He also has earned four of the team's six shutouts. Both freshman Juho Illi and junior Carl Spence have one each. The team's 1.32 goals against average is only 114th in the NCAA.
Fairleigh Dickinson and BU are meeting for the fourth-time ever and first since 1988, a contest that the Terriers won, 1-0, to even the series at 2-2. The Knights won the first game, 3-0, in 1983 and the second in 1984, 1-0, before dropping a 5-0 decision in 1985.
The winner of Friday's tilt will advance to the second-round to meet third-seeded St. John's (N.Y.) in New York on Tuesday (Nov. 25).
