Terriers Hold Off American in PL Opener, 2-1

Saturday, September 22

Boston, MA

1 PM

Boston University

2-4-2, 1-0-0PL

American

1-4-2, 0-1-0PL

American

Boston University

Photo by: Jim Pierce

September 22, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score Highlights

BOSTON – After grabbing a two-goal lead with 30 minutes remaining in regulation, the Boston University men's soccer team withstood a late American fury and prevailed, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field in the Patriot League opener for both squads. Both squads had several opportunities to strike, as they combined for 34 shots and 16 corner kicks.

Sophomore Austin D'Anna assisted on junior Satchel Cortet's 42nd-minute goal and later scored what proved to be the game winner 18 minutes later, while senior Mike Bernardi posted four saves to help the Terriers improve to 2-4-2 (1-0-0 PL). Coming off a 2-2 draw at then-No. 20 Portland, the Eagles (1-4-2, 0-1-0 PL) are still seeking their first road win with a 0-4-1 mark away from home.

HOW IT HAPPENED

During a counter attack, D'Anna sent a long pass from midfield down the right side to a charging senior T.J. Butzke.
Unchecked, Butzke quickly fed the ball into the box with pace for Cortet to one-time inside the right post past the keeper for a 1-0 advantage at 41:49.
The Eagles trailed at the half despite finishing ahead in both shots (6-5) and corner kicks (5).
The Terriers extended the lead in the 60th minute, as freshman Kari Petursson headed sophomore Peter Kargbo's pass toward the Eagles' box.
D'Anna slipped through the backline and rifled his shot on the right side toward the left post for the 2-0 advantage
Two minutes later though, the Eagles drew a penalty inside the BU box, and Fabio Massaro converted for his fourth goal of the season and a one-goal deficit.
American nearly tied the contest in the 72nd minute with a through ball toward Nick Dimitrijevic, but Bernardi came out with a sliding kick save to knock the ball away.
In the 84th minute, the Eagles threw a long pass toward the Terriers' box and managed to get the ball again to Dimitrijevic, whose point-blank shot attempt was saved by Bernardi.
The Terriers prevented AU from attempting a shot in the final frantic five minutes to preserve the victory.

GAME NOTES

Cortet became the fourth Terrier this season to score a goal, while D'Anna became the second to net multiple goals this season behind currently injured Matt McDonnell (6g).
D'Anna's three-point performance marked the second time he's had multiple points in a game after he scored twice at Army in 2017.
Both Cortet and D'Anna joined Petursson in becoming the only Terriers this season to have at least one goal and assist this year.
With Kargbo's assist on the second goal, BU now has eight Terriers with at least one point this season.
The Eagles had 11 corner kicks against BU's five after the Terriers allowed 11 combined corners in the previous four contests.
AU posted a 19-15 advantage in shot attempts with Lucas Manso matching Bernardi in saves at four apiece.
After collecting their first-ever home win over AU in three tries, the Terriers are now 3-3-1 all-time against the Eagles and have collected back-to-back victories in the series for the first time.

NEXT UP: BROWN

The Terriers will remain home and host the regional rival Bears on Tuesday (Sept. 25) with the Patriot League Network broadcast slated for 7 p.m.
The contest will mark the annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night celebration. A free pre-game meal and admission will be provided to those who register at GoTerriers.com/thankyou.
Brown won last year's matchup, 2-1, after the Terriers claimed a 2-0 home win in 2016.