BOSTON – Facing a one-goal deficit, the Boston University men's soccer team struck twice in the final five minutes for a thrilling 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the University at Albany on Thursday night at Nickerson Field.
Both graduate student
Quinn Matulis and senior
Aidan Bone provided the late-game heroics to help the Terriers (1-0) open their 75th season with the win, as the Great Danes dropped to 0-1.
UAlbany struck first by converting on a giveaway in the 62nd minute, and Matulis netted the equalizer on a perfectly-placed penalty kick at 85:49. Bone pushed BU ahead three minutes later by intercepting a back pass to the keeper and sending the ball into the empty net for his first career game winner.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Great Danes earned a pair of corners during the first 12 minutes but were unable to get off a shot.
- After Santiago Frias' header off an UAlbany free kick sailed wide at 16:13, BU had a quality opportunity in the 21st minute when senior Eitan Rosen worked his way down the left side of the box to set up a cross that led to classmate Andrew Rent firing six-yard blast right at the keeper.
- Senior Francesco Montali made a pair of saves and helped the Terriers clear three corner kicks over the last 15 minutes of the half to keep the game scoreless.
- The Terriers earned a corner at 50:37 but were unable to get off a shot until graduate student Colin Innes just put a little too much under a cross and sent a shot attempt over the crossbar seven minutes later from 10 yards out.
- Mohamed Soumah gave UAlbany the lead by deflecting a pass from the BU backline up the field and then sprinting into the box to send Saad Faiz's pass toward the left post at 61:24.
- BU earned a corner kick in the 81st minute, but Bone's header off the service pass from Innes went over the bar.
- The Terriers earned a free kick just outside UAlbany's box, and Matulis made the Great Danes pay by firing a shot through the wall at the far post to tie the game, 1-1, with 4:11 remaining in regulation.
- Bone then grabbed the lead for good with 71 seconds remaining by pouncing on the back pass.
GAME NOTES
- Matulis scored his 10th goal in his 33rd appearance as a Terrier after coincidentally also scoring the equalizer in a 1-1 draw at UAlbany in the 2022 season opener.
- Coming off the bench during the 72nd minute, Bone earned his second career goal.
- The Great Danes edged the Terriers in shots, 11-10, with a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
- Montali ended the game with two saves, while Wilson earned one stop.
- Freshmen Keke Abai, Luke Dunne and Jason Zacarias all made their debut in the second half.
- BU improved to 12-3-3 all-time in the series against the former America East rival with a 6-2-1 home mark.
- The Terriers snapped a six-game winless streak (0-5-1) in home openers, last posting a 2-1 victory over UMass in 2016.
- BU opened a season with a home victory for the first time since edging Fordham, 1-0, with one second remaining in overtime in 2014. BU was 0-2-0 during that stretch in combined season/home openers.
- The Terriers last opened a season at home victoriously with multiple goals in a game that ended in regulation back in 1998 against the Minutemen (3-0).
UP NEXT
- The Terriers will face a second America East squad in defending champion and current No. 23 New Hampshire with a visit to Durham on Sunday (Aug. 27) for a 5 p.m. start.
- BU stunned the then-No. 9 Wildcats, 1-0, on the road last year with senior Ryan Lee delivering the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute.