Sept. 25, 2013
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
ALLSTON, Mass. - In a hard-fought contest that featured a combined 29 shot attempts and 36 fouls, the Boston University men's soccer team kicked off a four-game road trip with a 0-0 draw at rival Harvard on Wednesday night. Finishing with nine shots on goal against the Crimson's two, the Terriers move to 3-3-1.
The two squads faced off for the 45th time in a series dating back to 1951, and the contest marked the second-ever 0-0 draw with the first one occurring in 1988. BU last had a combined blank sheet with an opponent in 2008 against Brown.
Redshirt-freshman keeper Matt Gilbert tallied two saves for his third shutout of the season, while the Crimson had a combined nine saves from three different players. Evan Mendez and Brett Conrad both had four stops apiece, while the defense added another team save in the contest.
The Crimson had the first good look in the fifth minute when a BU foul gave Harvard a free kick just outside the box. Gilbert was not required to move though, as Ross Friedman curled it over the crossbar. One minute later, senior Ali Sozeri put Mendez on notice with a hard flying shot from 25 yards out that forced the keeper to tip it over the bar.
The Terriers kept the pressure on in the first half, finishing with a 5-1 lead in corner kicks. Junior Cameron Souri placed two kicks on goal at 13:20 and 20:25, respectively, and senior Anthony Ciccone's attempt at 34:26 required a save by the Crimson defense due to Mendez being out of position.
Harvard's defense improved in the second half, limiting BU to just three shots and one corner. The Crimson also had two players capable of lobbing long balls into the box and used them to its advantage. Gilbert made multiple grabs jumping in the air with the backline providing assistance by creating a wall around him.
Both squads had heart-stopping quality looks in the final two minutes of regulation. With 1:44 to play, Andrew Chang rifled a low shot from 18 yards off a cross that resulted from a failed BU clear. Gilbert was in perfect position to smother the ball.
One minute later, junior Jordan Barker lofted a free kick from midfield over a large group of players to sophomore Lucas McBride's feet. McBride went for the quick point-blank shot, but Conrad was right in front for the stop.
In the first overtime, Conrad made a save on Sozeri's shot at 96:14. Neither team needed a save in the second extra stanza, but both backlines were put under intense pressure. Mark Ashby's header on a corner was just wide at 102:47, and Harvard cleared multiple crosses from BU in the 109th minute.
Trying to net the golden goal, Asbjornsson fired off the Terriers' 14th and final attempt at 108:59, but his team-high third shot was immediately blocked at the top of the box.
BU will next make program history with its first appearance in a Patriot League contest at Navy on Saturday (Sept. 28) with action slated to begin at 7 p.m. Fans unable to attend will be able to watch the action for free on the Patriot League Network.
