Terriers and Black Knights Battle to a Draw
By: David Souza
WEST POINT, NY — In a game where the Terriers needed a win to keep pace with the Colgate Raiders, BU (11-4-2, 5-1-2 PL) and Army West Point (4-6-5, 2-2-3 PL) battled hard, finishing in a 1-1 draw.
The tie moves the Terriers from the top of the Patriot League standings into second place, one point behind Colgate. BU is hoping to repeat as regular-season champions, which will guarantee them home field advantage in the Patriot League playoffs, and will now have to look to Lafayette to take down the Raiders next Saturday.
Felix De Bona opened the scoring midway through the first half. In the 25th minute, Danny Foen collected a T.J. Butzke pass and sent a cross over De Bona who headed the ball past a helpless Chris Britt. The goal was De Bona’s third on the week, as he scored both goals against Holy Cross in a Turnpike Trophy matchup last Wednesday, and his team leading eighth on the season.
The score remained 1-0 going into the half with the Terriers outshooting the Black Knights by a 7-4 margin.
Once the second half began, BU began to swarm Army’s side of the field and consistently put pressure on the Black Knight defense. De Bona almost had a second goal on the night; but his effort was stopped by a determined Britt.
The defensive stand seemed to inspire Army as, in the next sequence, they moved down the field before scoring off of a Cody Guerry goal. Guerry took a quick Okheem Riley pass in the box before sliding the ball past a sprawling Matt Gilbert.
The game would stay locked at one headed to overtime with both teams looking for a crucial victory. In the overtime periods, BU was able to put ample pressure on Britt and the Army back line, forcing the Black Knigts’ 6’5” senior keeper to make three saves in the extra periods.
However, the Terriers were unable to find the back of the net, and had to settle for a draw against an Army squad that currently treads water for the final postseason spot in the Patriot League.
An encouraging sign for Boston University’s postseason run was the return of forward Anthony Viteri. The St. John’s transfer has sat out with an undisclosed injury since an October 13th game versus Brown University, and returned to action in the Army West Point contest. He played for 62 minutes, and had two shots on goal for the afternoon.
The Terriers will be back in action on Friday against the Naval Academy as they look to wrap up the regular season with one last chance at the Patriot League regular season championship, and by extension, the hosting rights to the postseason tournament.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Annapolis, Maryland.