May 24, 2011
2011 Schedule: Web | PDF
BOSTON - Highlighted by home contests against four Big East schools and crosstown rival Boston College, the Boston University men's soccer team and 27th-year head coach Neil Roberts have announced the team's 2011 schedule. The Terriers, who will face a total of six squads that participated in last year's NCAA tournament, will kick off the campaign on August 26 at Holy Cross.
After preseason scrimmages against Merrimack (Aug. 20) and McGill (Aug. 22), BU's schedule will consist of 17 regular season games, including seven in America East play and eight total at home. Continuing Roberts' philosophy of scheduling a challenging slate of games, the Terriers, who were one of the last teams left out of the NCAAs with an RPI of 40, will face five squads who finished 32 or higher and 11 with marks of 84 or higher.
Seeking their first season-opening win since 2006, the defending America East regular season champion Terriers will visit Holy Cross on Friday, Aug. 26. In 2009, BU pulled out a 2-0 home win in their first meeting since 1973. The road trip will continue at Northeast Conference champion Monmouth on Sept. 1 in the first-ever game between the two programs.
Two days later on Sept. 3, BU will host the first of three consecutive Big East opponents in St. John's. Two years ago, the Terriers stunned the No. 1 Red Storm, 1-0, for the program's first win over a top-ranked opponent since 1994. The homestand continues with Seton Hall on Sept. 9 and Connecticut on Sept. 16. The Pirates are making their first-ever trip to Nickerson Field, while the Huskies are coming off a second round appearance in the NCAAs.
BU next follows two weeks of playing at home with a four-game road trip, beginning at Massachusetts (Sept. 18). The Terriers then face Brown (Sept. 24), who eliminated UConn last year before falling in the third round, and Harvard on Sept. 28. They conclude arguably their toughest stretch of the season with a visit to Hartford (Oct. 1) in the America East opener.
Four of the next five games will be at Nickerson Field, starting with two teams that reached the second round of the NCAAs. Losing on penalty kicks in the Big East Championship game, Providence (Oct. 4) will be followed by America East tournament champion UMBC on Oct. 8. The Terriers earned a 2-0 shutout win over the Retrievers last year on the Fox Soccer Channel but never had the chance to face UMBC again in the conference tournament after falling to New Hampshire in an overtime semifinal loss.
After visiting Vermont on Oct. 12, BU next hosts Stony Brook (Oct. 15) and Boston College (Oct. 18), the sixth team coming off a NCAA appearance. The season concludes with three conference opponents, including trips to Albany (Oct. 22) and Binghamton (Oct. 29). The final home game will take place in-between the two road games against New Hampshire on Oct. 26.
The Terriers are coming off a 11-5-1 record and will feature 2010 America East Defender of the Year Colin Henry, Rookie of the Year Kelvin Madzongwe and first-team all-conference members Ben Berube, Michael Bustamante and Stephen Knox.
