Men’s Soccer: Late Terrier comeback falls short in overtime

By John Salloum 

Boston University men’s soccer (0-4-1) fell short of a late second half comeback in their match against St. John’s University, finishing 2-3 to the Red Storm (3-2-0).

It was a quick start by St. John’s in the opening half of the game as they dominated possession from early on. St. John’s midfielder Einer Lye broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, following some quick interplay between Brandonn Knapp and Andrew Bennett. Lye slotted the ball past BU goalkeeper Francesco Montali with a low shot for the senior’s first goal of the season. 

Minutes later, it was Lye at the double, finishing a cross set up by teammates Lucas Barlett and Adrien Roseth. The midflieder’s early brace spelt trouble for the terriers who struggled to find their footing in the first half, only registering one shot in the first 45 minutes. 

BU needed a second half comeback in order to get something from this match and that is exactly what they strived for. The Terriers were able to gather more of the ball and were more aggressive on counter attacks. In the 65th minute the team was re-ignited as freshman Brian Hernandez scored his first official collegiate goal, beautifully set up by Gianluca Arlotti’s lofted pass into the 18 yard box. 

Come near the end of the game and it was Hernandez again that was able to tie things back up in the 84th minute. Following a pass by Colin Innes, Hernandez dribbled into the midfield and fired a shot from 20 yards out, flying past St. John’s goalie Matt Forster into the bottom right corner. 

The game did not end there. In the final moments of regulation, St. John’s was given a free kick just outside the 18 yard box. Yet, Montali pulled off the heroics for the Terriers to deny Lye his hat trick. 

More drama was on the horizon for overtime. From the first moments, BU junior defender Kenneth Huang gave away a foul inside the box with a penalty being awarded to St. Johns. With a perfect opportunity to win the game for the Red Storm, forward Brandon Knapp smashed the ball into the far right corner, ending the game. 

After the game, BU head coach Kevin Nylen was impressed by his side’s heart and determination on the night.

 “[I’m] really proud of the guys tonight,” Nylen said. “To go down 2-0 in the first half on the road against a very good side and to battle back to make it 2-2 shows our ability and willingness to play and perform.

“Very tough way to end on a PK, but that’s the game and we will be better from tonight’s performance as we head into conference play.” 

Nylen’s side will look to show their continued improvements next Saturday, September 18, as they host Navy at 7:30 p.m. at Nickerson Field.

Featured Image by Ryan Gregory.

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