Battle of Commonwealth Ave Spills into Terrier Tailgate
By Alex Greenberg
BOSTON– On Friday night, the Boston University men’s soccer team got their 2015 season off to a golden start. The Terriers came from behind to win 2-1 at Fordham University in what was a thrilling way to begin the new campaign. Junior Felix De Bona scored a penalty to equalize for BU in the 83rd minute. The game continued into an overtime period until freshman T.J. Butzke converted a De Bona pass for the game’s golden goal.
BU will look to build off their opening win tonight when they welcome rivals Boston College to Nickerson Field. The game is the main attraction of the evening’s ninth annual Terrier Tailgate events. Admission is free and this “Boston Derby,” if you will, should see a great crowd at Nickerson Field.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Terriers were upset by the Eagles in Newton. BU was ranked 20th in the nation at the time while riding a nine-game unbeaten streak. A goal from Dominique Badji was not enough, as the Terriers conceded three goals during what was a disappointing defensive performance.
Both sides have seen significant change to their roster since that clash in October of last year. BC’s Cole DeNormandie and Zeiko Lewis were the two best players on the field in that contest. DeNormandie has since graduated, but Lewis is just a junior and hopes to terrorize the Terriers again after scoring two goals and assisting one in last year’s fixture
BU head coach Neil Roberts also has some big shoes to fill after graduating seven seniors from last year’s squad. One of those seniors was forward and 2014 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Dominique Badji, who is now in the MLS with the Colorado Rapids. The Terriers will also need to replace graduated 2014 key players Nick Thomson, Kelvin Madzongwe, and Jordan Barker.
If BU is going to continue their unbeaten start to the season, they will need to do it in the face of some daunting history in this fixture. BC has beaten BU each of the last seven times they’ve faced off at Nickerson Field. The last time BU won was 1996 and most of the Terrier freshman hadn’t even been born yet.
However, Coach Roberts will be hoping his youngsters can mature quickly and deal with the stern test that Boston College will pose in the ninth annual Terrier Tailgate.