Aug 28, 2013
BOSTON - The Boston University men's soccer team enters the program's 65th season looking to make its mark in its first year as a member of the Patriot League. Selected to finish second in the preseason poll with three first-place votes, the Terriers have high expectations for themselves after last year's finish.
They departed the America East with a league-record seven conference tournament crowns and 11 regular season titles but were unable to add to the trophy case last fall due to the tournament ban and multiple injuries confronted by the team during the season. Entering his 29th year at the helm, head coach Neil Roberts believes the obstacles faced last year will have a positive influence on this season's team.
"It was a crazy year with the ban and playoff implications," said Roberts. "It's a situation no one had been in before. When the season unfolded, we started out strong with positive results against Boston College and UConn, but then injuries started to come in. With all the issues we faced, I thought the guys competed hard through the whole season until the very end, and I was happy about their effort. Obviously, our record wasn't what we wanted it to be. We thought we had a team that could compete with the opponents we put on the schedule. We did at the beginning, but then we just kept losing numbers."
In the second game of the season, BU stunned crosstown rival Boston College, 1-0, for its first shutout against the No. 11 Eagles since 1998 but then lost former America East Defender of the Year Kelvin Madzongwe to injury in the following contest against No. 16 Wake Forest. The injuries piled up from there, and the team finished at 6-8-4 for Roberts' third-ever losing season.
Despite the obstacles, BU still finished with an RPI ranking of 78 out of 204 programs, as several underclassmen took advantage of the opportunity to play and gain experience. Junior Parker Powell and sophomore Mac McGuire led the Terriers with five goals apiece, while senior Anthony Ciccone had his best season yet with eight assists to earn America East All-Conference honors.
Both Ciccone and Madzongwe were named to the Patriot League Preseason All-Conference squad and will be relied upon heavily by Roberts to help guide the team this season as co-captains.
"Kelvin and Anthony did a great job over the spring even though they were injured," said Roberts. "They are both quiet, but they work extremely hard and respect the players. They've done a good job from last winter through preseason making make sure the guys are focused. They want to make sure everybody is ready to do whatever it takes to help make the team better."
In total, BU returns 18 letter winners and seven starters while welcoming 10 newcomers. The amount of both experienced players and freshmen provides Roberts the depth he seeks but for now, the team is currently without an identity.
"We're still trying to develop a personality for the team, and we are a work in progress," he said. "I hope our identity will be one of an attacking team even though we had some trouble scoring during the preseason. Once it all comes together, I think we'll be able to create some chances and have guys score goals."
One key reason for the lack of scoring production (one goal in three games) was the inability to connect on the final pass. With new players on the team and other players moved to new positions, the coaching staff is currently working on getting everyone on the same page. Roberts is confident they are close because of how quickly the men have bought into his system.
"We have a fun and hard working group of guys," he said. "They came in extremely fit, more so than any of the other teams in the last five years, which is good to see. Their mindset is good. They enjoy being with each other, and they are competitive. Once we get our identity, this will be a fun team for fans to watch."
BU will not have a lot time to gel, as the team will be presented once again with a challenging slate of non-conference opponents, including 2012 NCAA participants Boston College, Brown and UConn. Roberts brought back Northeastern, and the Terriers will also continue their annual rivalries with Harvard and Providence. In total, only one scheduled team finished with an RPI ranking below 100.
Besides seeing a new crop of Terriers on the field, fans will be introduced to a new batch of opponents from the Patriot League after BU competed as a member of the America East from 1988-2012. Last year's regular season champion American University was picked by coaches to win the title, and both the reigning tournament champion Lafayette and MAAC regular season title holder Loyola Maryland are expected to be in the mix.
Roberts and the team are excited to join the conference, but they are not in position yet to declare who their main rivals in the league will be.
"You can't manufacture rivalries because they build over time," he explained. "We're looking forward to the challenge and competing for a championship right away. Of course, the other teams will be saying the same thing. Our focus right now is just getting better every week.
"In preseason, we started in a pretty good place," he added. "We had five guys coming off surgery, and we've been able to test them."
The Terriers will kick off their 17-game regular season schedule on Friday (Aug. 30) at Nickerson Field against BC with action set to begin at 5 p.m.
GOALKEEPERS
Named to the America East All-Rookie Team in 2011, junior Nick Thomson has started all 35 games the past two years. He owns both a career 1.09 goals against average and .761 save percentage along with 11 career shutouts, highlighted by blank sheets against BC and Providence. He will be challenged for playing time by redshirt freshman Matt Gilbert and sophomore Alexander Bello.
Gilbert dealt with a hand injury last year and has looked strong in the preseason. He was a three-time All-County First Team honoree and two-time All-State member at Madison H.S. in New Jersey. Head coach Neil Roberts considers Bello to be more technically sound than the other two. Bello trained with the U.S. U17 national team in Spain and exceled while living abroad at the Club Atletico de Madrid Academy.
DEFENDERS
Roberts will use four defenders this year. A preseason All-Conference honoree, senior Kelvin Madzongwe will again serve as the anchor in the middle alongside sophomore Jeroen Blugh. Both men helped BU shut out BC last year, and after Madzongwe's injury, Blugh aided the defense in a 1-1 draw at then-No. 3 UConn. However, he would suffer a similar fate early in the seventh game of the season against Brown.
They are now healthy and will be joined on the sides by two other men. Senior Evin Nadaner, senior Vicente Colmenares and junior Cameron Souri will be heavily relied upon to contribute in the back. Nadaner started nine games last year after appearing in 14 games total his first two seasons. This past summer, he helped the United States win the gold at the Maccabiah Games and will be used in the midfield as well.
Souri tallied three assists last season and like Colmenares can also play in the midfield if needed. Both freshman Noah Sinkoff and Duff Bedrosian will battle for playing time. Sinkoff was a two-time New England All-Star and co-captained the Berkshire School to the Class A State title his final season. Like Nadaner, Bedrosian has experience playing on the international stage at the Maccabiah Games. He trained with the professional club Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina and served as captain of FC Westchester (N.Y.) his senior year.
MIDFIELD
Coach Roberts has two types of midfielders, those who attack and those who help hold the line. A preseason All-Conference honoree, junior Dominique Badji led the Terriers in points as a freshman with 13 and added eight more his sophomore season off three goals and two assists while posting a team-high 65 shot attempts. He can play in both the center and on the flank.
Senior Anthony Ciccone forced the action last season with eight assists and will continue to be a force for the Terriers. Sophomore Mac McGuire will help push the offense as well after tallying a team-high 11 points off five goals and an assist during his rookie campaign. As Roberts figures out his lineup, Souri could see time as an attacker in the midfield. He has 20 starts under his belt and tallied six points as a freshman.
Junior Jordan Barker joins the Terriers from England and brings plenty of experience to the squad. He competed with the England Universities soccer team and has the speed to threaten opponents.
Roberts compares the holding midfielder position to that of the quarterback on a football team. He relies on these men to push the ball up the field and make the right decisions on passes to prevent counter attacks. Senior Fannar Arnarsson joined BU last year from UNC Greensboro and started 14 games before dealing with his own injuries.
Plagued by injuries as well, junior Sanford Spivey has started all 35 games the last two seasons and has the ability to play in both the midfield and in the back. Nadaner could be called upon to contribute in the midfield as well.
Freshman David Asbjornsson stands 6-foot-3 and has plenty of international experience, highlighted by his time spent this past summer with Iceland's national team at the UEFA European U-21 Championship. Newcomers Jesse Caron, Elliot Maker and Kelvin Naito will also compete for playing time in the midfield.
FORWARDS
Junior Parker Powell tallied five goals last season alongside McGuire and will look to make more contributions this season. Senior Ali Sozeri tallied 19 goals his sophomore year at nearby Lesley University, and Roberts is quick to note how fit he is for his final season in the collegiate ranks. He made three starts last year and tallied his lone goal at No. 3 UConn.
Sophomore Lucas McBride appeared in 10 games last year and will be expected to be a key contributor in the front. Freshman Felix De Bona will be relied upon as well after earning All-State honors last season at Somerville H.S. He spent two years with the New England Revolution Academy and finished with 24 goals.
Freshman Jonathan Glenn, junior Bino Cerqueira and junior Keagan McDonnell help provide depth at the forward position and will compete for time.
