Men’s Soccer: Late goals against Navy put dent in Terriers’ playoff hopes
By Akshai Wadhwani
BOSTON – BU men’s soccer could not duplicate the success of their female counterparts earlier in the day as they took on Navy in a late Saturday evening matchup for a 2-1 loss.
The Terrier women took down Bucknell at Nickerson Field, 2-0, under the sunny afternoon skyline of Saturday’s 2018 Senior Day. Neil Roberts’s side followed that up with a well-fought effort against the Midshipmen, but ultimately surrendered a second-half lead and fell short of the mark.
Following a first half that saw each side take just two shots, BU (3-9-3 overall, 2-3-1 PL) struck in the 51st minute through the forehead of senior Adam Wright. The forward rose to get on the end of a right-flank cross from sophomore Toti Knutsson, heading home for his first career goal in scarlet and white.
The tally could not have found its way to a more deserving player. Considering the fact that Wright missed the entirety of last season due to injury, and had to be carried off the field on Oct. 6 against Lafayette. Throw in the fact that he also maintained a high enough level of fitness to be picked for the squad just two weeks after the latter, and you have nothing short of remarkable.
Wright saw his valiance rendered moot, however, by the 71st minute. Navy’s Bayne Bentley, after a long dribble down the right wing, saw a chance deflection take Terrier keeper Mike Bernardi out of the action and allow him to tap home on an empty net. Finishing off his own chance, Bentley notched his second goal of the season for the Midshipmen.
Jacob Williams completed the one-two punch in the 85th minute with his fifth tally on the year. Receiving a pass from Wyatt Millard, Williams cut through the BU back line and put a shot off the inside of the post and in, confirming a late game-winner for the home side—and putting another gash in the Terriers’ playoff hopes.
BU has now lost back-to-back matches in the Patriot League, plummeting them to seventh place in the conference table. They sit a point shy of American—and playoff soccer—with three conference fixtures remaining, including the next two at home. Navy, in all irony, remains bottom of the league; the 2-1 result confirmed their first win of the season in conference competition.
The Terriers still have Patriot League seeding within their reach. However, seeing as their final three opponents of the regular season all currently sit in playoff spots—fifth-place Army, fourth-place Bucknell, and third-place Colgate, in that order—they will need to buckle down and maintain razor sharp focus if they are to pull any points from their remaining trifecta of matches.
Next Up: The Terriers begin crunch time against Army on Wednesday evening at Nickerson Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.