Men's Soccer to Visit Harvard Wednesday Night
September 24, 2013 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 24, 2013
Live Stats | Watch | @BUGameDay
BOSTON - Kicking off a four-game road trip, the Boston University men's soccer team will visit rival Harvard on Wednesday night with action set to begin at 7 p.m. The Terriers (3-3-0) will look to return to their winning ways after Providence snapped BU's three-game win streak last Friday, while the Crimson (1-4-1) will try to extend its own streak after earning a 2-1 win over UMass.
Harvard leads the all-time series, 24-14-6, but BU has won two of the last three meetings. In 2012 at Nickerson Field, the Terriers finished ahead by wide margins in both shots, 27-8, and corner kicks, 16-1. The Crimson though still came out the victor with a golden goal in the 107th minute for the 2-1 overtime win.
Junior Dominique Badji was a dominant presence in the contest with nine shots, including five on goal. One of them found the back of the net when he rifled an attempt from 25 yards out. This season, he is one of six Terriers with a goal and one of nine with at least one point.
On the offensive end, BU is averaging 10.7 shots per game with 28.1 percent of them finishing on goal. Through six contests, the Terriers have recorded two multi-goal games and have been shut out twice. Freshman Felix De Bona leads BU with two goals, while senior Anthony Ciccone owns a team-high four assists.
Defensively, BU has been without the services of 2011 America East Defender of the Year Kelvin Madzongwe in three contests due to injury. Despite the loss, the Terriers have a 0.98 goals against average and 0.846 save percentage. Providence became the first team this season to post a multi-goal performance in regulation against the Terriers. Redshirt-freshman Matt Gilbert has two shutouts after earning a blank sheet against defending CAA champion Northeastern last week behind five saves.
Under the guidance of a new head coach, Harvard started the season on a three-game losing skid, falling to Iona, Davidson and Providence by a combined score of 8-2. Since then, the Crimson is 1-1-1 with the goals scored equal at 4-4. Harvard posted a 0-0 draw against Lafayette and fell in overtime to Harford, 3-2.
Six players have tallied a goal with Ross Friedman leading the team in assists at three. Brett Conrad started the first five games at net at had a 2.06 goals against average with a 0.686 save percentage. Evan Mendez started against UMass in the last game and two saves for the victory.
After facing Harvard, the Terriers will travel to Navy for their first-ever Patriot League game. The contest is scheduled for Saturday (Sept. 28) at 7 p.m.
