Men's Soccer Welcomes Lehigh to Nickerson Field Saturday Afternoon
October 11, 2013 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 11, 2013
Gametracker | Watch on PLN (free) | @BUGameDay
BOSTON - Concluding a two-game Patriot League homestand, the Boston University men's soccer team will welcome Lehigh to Nickerson Field for the first time in program history on Saturday with action set to begin at 2 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the first 250 will receive a free BU Athletics t-shirt. Students will be able to participate in a raffle for a 32" HDTV, and Raising Cane's will be on site with free food.
The Terriers (3-7-1, 0-3 PL) enter the game looking to get back on track after suffering back-to-back heartbreakers. Last Saturday, they held a late 2-0 lead at Army, but the Black Knights rallied back with two scores to send the contest to overtime and added the golden goal in the second extra session. BU then dominated possession against Holy Cross most of Wednesday night and finished with a 21-9 advantage in shot attempts. The team though just couldn't find the back of the net, as the Crusaders posted eight saves and converted on an 88th minute counter attack to escape with the win.
Five of BU's seven defeats have been by one goal with four of the losses coming by shutout. The offense is averaging 13.4 shots per game, which ranks third best in the conference, and earns 5.55 corners per game, which also is third best in the league. The Terriers though only have 10 goals in 11 games with only three teams behind them in the standings.
Preseason All-Conference honoree Dominique Badji is one of five men with four points and leads the program with 30 shot attempts in 10 appearances. Sophomore Lucas McBride, freshman Felix De Bona and sophomore Jeroen Blugh also have two goals apiece while senior Anthony Ciccone has a team-high four assists.
In regulation, BU's defense has allowed multiple goals four times while also shutting out three programs. Redshirt freshman Matt Gilbert has started nine games and has a 1.09 goals against average and 0.811 save percentage. He leads the Patriot League in saves per game at 4.78.
Sitting at 1-7-1 (0-3-0 PL), Lehigh has been shut out the last four games, including a 1-0 loss on Wednesday to Lafayette. Their lone win was a 1-0 victory against Yale, and the tie was a 0-0 draw at Albany.
Ben Wysocki and Danny Gonzalez lead the Hawks with one goal apiece. Kevin Motylewski has started six of the nine games and has a 1.45 goals against average with a 0.640 save percentage.
BU and Lehigh are meeting for the second time in program history. The Terriers visited the Hawks back in 2001 and came away with a 4-1 victory.
Following Saturday's game, BU will visit Lafayette on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.
