Terriers Clash with Northeastern Tuesday Night at Nickerson Field
September 16, 2013 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 16, 2013
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Weekly Honors: Asbjornsson (Patriot League Rookie) | Ciccone (GoTerriers.com Student-Athlete)
BU alum M. Bustamante ('12) excels in first MLS start
BOSTON - Looking to extend its win streak to three games, the Boston University men's soccer team will host defending CAA champion Northeastern on Tuesday night with action slated to begin at 7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the Major League Soccer professional franchise New England Revolution will made its presence felt with free giveaways. The Rev Girls will also be in attendance.
Both squads are riding unbeaten streaks with the Huskies (2-1-2) looking to avoid defeat for the fourth straight contest. Coming off an appearance in the second round of the 2012 NCAA tournament, they are making their first trek to BU since 2007. The Terriers (2-2-0) own an 18-7 advantage in the all-time series dating back to 1984 but fell in the last meeting in 2008 at NU by a 1-0 margin.
After dropping a pair of hard-fought one-goal decisions to Boston College and then-No. 1 Connecticut to open the season, the Terriers kicked off a four-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over 2012 CAA runner-up Hofstra and 3-0 win against 2013 MAAC preseason favorite Monmouth.
Reigning GoTerriers.com Student-Athlete of the Week Anthony Ciccone played a key role in directing the offense, as he set up the game-winning goal against the Pride and two of Saturday's three scores. Named Patriot League Rookie of the Week earlier on Monday, David Asbjornsson was also an important contributor, as he kept the two opponents on their toes with a combined team-high five shots and helped the backline fend off 11 corner kicks and multiple set pieces.
The Terriers have shown their depth early in the season with six players having recorded a goal. Sophomore Mac McGuire, freshman Felix De Bona, sophomore Lucas McBride, junior Dominique Badji, sophomore Jeroen Blugh and senior Ali Sozeri have all placed the ball past the keeper so far.
The Terriers also have depth at the goalkeeper position. Junior Nick Thomson (1-0-0) started against Hofstra and recorded six saves before redshirt freshman Matt Gilbert (1-2-0) stopped one shot attempt for his first career shutout against Monmouth. With the assistance of the backline, both men have played well combining for a 0.840 save percentage and 0.97 goals against average.
They will face a challenging test from Northeastern on Tuesday with goalie Dylan Faber seeking his third straight shutout after earning blank sheets against Fordham and Providence. Through five contests, Faber owns a 0.808 save percentage and 0.92 goals against average.
On the offensive end, the Huskies have tallied seven goals but five of them came in a win against Fairfield. Dante Marini leads NU with five points off one goal and three assists, while Terence Carter (2g), Donovan Fayd (1g, 2a) and Devlin Devoy (2g) all have four points apiece.
NU opened the season with a 1-1 draw against Elon before dropping a 2-0 decision to Duke. The Huskies then defeated Fairfield and Fordham by a combined score of 6-2 and followed up with a 0-0 draw at Providence.
Coincidentally, the Friars are BU's next opponent. Providence visits Nickerson Field on Friday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m.
