Oct. 16, 2012
Box Score | Highlights
Coach Roberts' postgame comments
BOSTON - Despite having a 27-8 advantage in shot attempts and 15 more corner kick opportunities, the Boston University men's soccer team fell to Harvard, 2-1, in double overtime on Tuesday night at Nickerson Field.
Entering with an RPI ranking of 95 even with only one win, the Crimson (2-7-3) intercepted a soft pass near midfield and drove the ball forward, leading to Zack Wolfenzon finishing off a cross inside the box from Connor McCarthy for the victory. Facing their last non-conference opponent of the season, the Terriers (4-7-4) allowed their second golden of the year after an earlier 1-0 defeat to then-No. 24 Brown.
Sophomore Dominique Badji scored the equalizer at 68:32 for his third goal of the season by launching a towering shot from 35 yards out toward the left post with assistance from senior Michael Bustamante. Harvard got on the board first 20 minutes earlier when Oliver White moved past the BU backline to head in cleanly a free kick from David Barna.
In the first half, the teams went back and forth with neither squad getting more than a couple of quality chances. Finishing with two saves, sophomore Nick Thomson made the only one of the first half at 21:35 off the foot of Jake Freeman.
The Terriers increased their energy level and dominated the second half in terms of possession. Finishing with a game-high nine shot attempts, including five on goal, Badji started the onslaught off with a hard shot at 46:52, which set up the first of 12 corner kicks in the half.
Despite only managing two shot attempts in the second half, the Crimson scored first by taking advantage of the referee's whistle. The Terriers came right back with Badji launching a header that Evan Mendez needed to stretch high up in the air for to keep a clean sheet.
Junior Derek McCaffrey headed a ball that bounced into the post for a Harvard defender to clear away in the 61st minute, and three minutes later, Mendez dove to his right to slap away a hard shot from Bustamante.
After Badji scored, the Terriers continued to apply pressure, but Harvard's backline never broke down, clearing away six shot attempts to send the game to overtime.
Heading to its seventh overtime session of the season with a 1-1-4 record, BU got a quality chance at 93:57 when Badji moved around a defender to rifle a shot, but Mendez dove into the air to stop it. The Harvard goalie finished with eight saves in the win.
Sophomore Parker Powell was a constant threat for BU during the game, posting a career-high six shot attempts. Jake Freeman was the only one from Harvard to come away with two.
The Terriers will continue their three-game homestand on Saturday (Oct. 20) against America East foe Albany with first kick set for 2 p.m.
