The AU men's soccer team couldn't bounce back from an early deficit Saturday, falling to the Boston University Terriers 2-0 in their Patriot League opener at Reeves Field.
BU jumped out to a quick lead with a goal by forward Matt McDonnell off a free kick in the fourth minute. AU (1-7-1, 0-1 PL) couldn’t overcome this early blow and failed to put a shot past BU goalkeeper Michael Bernardi throughout the entire 90 minutes.
The players “should be frustrated,” said AU head coach Todd West after the game. “After going down 1-0 on the very first set piece of the game, they deserve to be frustrated. They’re giving opportunities away.”
The Eagles also had a tough time defensively against BU (2-5-2, 1-0 PL) as the Terriers scored on a free kick. A defensive miscommunication led to a wide open goal in the 48th minute. Numerous fouls troubled AU throughout the game, which resulted in three yellow cards for Eagle players.
After a strategic lineup change at center back in the second half, injuries continued to trouble the Eagles. Sophomore defender Braden Miller exited the game in the second half with an injury to the face.
“The best laid plans don’t always happen and more changes need to be made to our defensive set up,” West said.
Leading by two goals, Boston University shifted to a more defensive stance later in the game, which made scoring opportunities more difficult to come by for the Eagles.
Like previous losses to Albany and Marist, AU recorded more shots on goal(six) than its opponent (four). Freshman forward Nicholas Dimitrijevic recorded two shots on goal in his 61 minutes on field, but could not find the back of the net. Forwards Danny Kaiser and Jerry Zouantcha both also contributed to the shot tally.
The Eagles continue Patriot League play on the road against Bucknell on Sept. 30. West is confident that the changes made in training can push the Eagles to end their drought.
