Terriers Edged Out at Brown, 2-1
By Akshai Wadhwani September 26, 2017
PROVIDENCE, RI – The BU men’s soccer team were thrilled to see midfielder Toti Knutsson score his first goal of the season off a penalty kick, pulling the Terriers even in their match with Brown University at 1; however, they were even more dejected to see that effort be promptly erased less than two minutes later.
Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened on Tuesday evening in Providence. Knutsson’s successful spot kick in the 78th minute, initially earned by sophomore Mana Chavali, was annulled 72 seconds later when the Bears’ Toby Howell pounced on a loose ball in the 18-yard box to score his second goal of the match and fourth of the season. The go-ahead goal came after Howell’s first strike – off a cross from the left flank by Daniel Schiller – gave the Bears the lead in the 10th minute.
Thus, the Terriers came out underfoot in what was a largely defensive match on both sides. BU was held to just two shots on goal, Brown to four; Terrier keeper Michael Bernardi made only a pair of saves, while his opposite number Joey Cipicchio made just one.
The Terriers’ downfall proved to be errors in field play. Schiller’s cross to Howell for the Bears’ first goal was initiated by a poor pass, which the former intercepted. Likewise, Howell’s second goal came as the result of a Brown free kick from just beyond midfield that the Terriers failed to clear properly, leading to a deflection that the hosts’ striker was able to take advantage of.
On the subject of defensive issues, BU once again found themselves in the foul trouble, which has plagued them for much of the season. The Terriers committed 21 fouls over the course of the match, an alarming regression from just 9 fouls in their win against American this past Saturday. Against Princeton the Terriers registered 17 fouls over the course of 90 minutes plus two overtime halves.
Brown’s home victory brings their record to an impressive 5-1-1, and sees them recover after having failed to score in their previous two matches. The Terriers are now 2-6-1 overall and have lost five of six road matches. On the positive side, the goals are starting to come; BU has now scored in four straight matches after a five-game drought to start the season.
Next Up: The Terriers remain on the road for a matchup with Lehigh this Saturday. Kickoff from Ulrich Sports Complex is set for 6 P.M.