BOSTON – Riding off the energy of the home crowd, the top-seeded Boston University men's soccer team claimed the program's first Patriot League tournament title with a 1-0 triumph over No. 3 Lafayette on a windy Saturday afternoon at Nickerson Field.

With their first conference trophy since 2008 and NCAA bid in eight years, the Terriers improve to 12-3-4, while the Leopards end their season at 9-6-6. Senior Eitan Rosen delivered the game-winning goal in the 65th minute, and classmate Francesco Montali earned one save for his eighth shutout of the year.

For their efforts, both Rosen and Montali earned PL All-Tournament Team honors alongside graduate student Colin Innes and senior Griffin Roach. Previously named PL Offensive Player of the Year, Rosen added PL Tournament MVP honors to his awards haul, as he became the first Terrier since 2015 to net nine goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Terriers earned the first corner of the game at 4:59 and nearly took advantage, as Lafayette just barely got the ball cleared out of the six-yard box.
• Graduate student Quinn Matulis later forced Lafayette's Griffin Huff into a fantastic diving save to his left in the 10th minute after Matulis dribbled to the top of the box and fired a right-footed shot on target.
• Lafayette nearly capitalized on a counter attack in the 25th minute, but Hale Lombard's chip attempt past Montali went just wide of the right post.
• BU nearly worked a fantastic goal off a free kick four minutes later, as senior Andrew Rent headed Matulis' service to sophomore Quinn DeLaMater, whose header went just over the bar.
• Montali collected his lone save at 39:19, pushing a hard shot over the net and then helping defend against two corner kicks to keep the game scoreless entering the locker room.
• Three minutes after the Leopards hit the far post trying to score from a tough angle, Rent ripped a shot at 57:33 to force a save.
• Junior Kevin Torres helped start the successful counter by flicking a ball near midfield to Rent, who directed it midflight a few yards up to senior Aidan Bone.
• From 30 yards out, Bone moved the ball up and slid it to Rosen on the left side with Rosen then driving into the box and firing a shot inside the far post for the 1-0 advantage at 64:10.
• The Terriers nearly doubled the lead in the 73rd minute when Huff made another save on senior Ryan Lee's hard shot attempt and Bone headed the rebound just over the bar.
• The Leopards earned three corners over the final nine minutes but were unable to get off a shot against BU's backline for the loss.

GAME NOTES

• BU previously won seven tournament titles, including four in the No. 1 slot, as a member of the America East and improved to 7-2-2 all-time in conference finals. The Terriers previously suffered a 3-2 overtime heartbreaker in 2014 at Nickerson Field in the their first appearance in the PL Championship Final.
• The Terriers are now on a 14-game home unbeaten streak (11-0-3) dating back to last season and joined the 1994 squad as the last two in program history to go unbeaten at home an entire season while adding a title.
• Rosen became the first PL Offensive Player of the Year to earn PL Tournament honors since Colgate's Steven Miller accomplished the feat in 2011.
• Bone earned his second assist of the season and fourth overall point, while Rent became the third Terrier to reach double-digit points (10) behind his fourth assist. 
• Held to a season-low one shot attempt on goal despite earning a season-tying 10 corner kicks, Lafayette nearly doubled BU in fouls, 27-14, while also receiving five cards against the Terriers' one.
• BU improved to 5-5-2 all-time against Lafayette by snapping a six-game winless streak (0-4-2) in the series, last collecting a 2-0 win on the road in 2017.

UP NEXT

• BU will learn its spot in the NCAA tournament bracket on Monday (Nov. 13) with the NCAA.com selection show set for 1 p.m.
• The Terriers will then make their 16th overall appearance in the postseason event on Thursday, Nov. 16, against an opponent to be determined.