Men’s Soccer: Lee’s late goal lifts Terriers over No. 9 New Hampshire

By Abbey Chaitin

Boston University Men’s Soccer (1-0-1, 0-0 PL) began Sunday’s game against the nationally ranked University of New Hampshire (0-2-0) fighting to keep up. After a grueling 78 minutes, the Terriers pulled ahead, ultimately sealing a 1-0 victory to upset the No. 9 Wildcats.

Senior Ryan Lee put the game to bed by taking a left-footed shot and digging it into the back of the net.

The Wildcats dominated the first half, not afraid to involve their backline, and created numerous chances for themselves in the final third. While UNH spent most of the first half knocking on the door, the Terriers rose to the occasion. BU excelled at defending set pieces and fighting for 50/50 balls, fending off 10 corner kicks in the first half alone.

While BU played strong defense, they struggled to get the ball into UNH’s half. The Terriers rarely connected passes and had trouble keeping possession of the ball, often losing it after clearances.

The first half ended goalless despite UNH firing 11 shots to BU’s one.

Despite the Wildcat’s first-half domination, BU came into the second half with ambition and diligence. The Terriers started to push into the Wildcats’ half, creating strong set pieces that led them towards the final third. The Wildcats’ response to BU’s slight infiltration was noticeable — their game pace increased, and the passing became more panicked. 

Even with less lopsided possession between the teams, the Wildcats still had far more shots in the second half (12) than the Terriers (2). Nearly every few minutes, UNH would come close to scoring, but couldn’t deliver. Most of these chances came when the ball got played right across the box and just missed a Wildcat foot.

BU’s defensive efforts all game paid off late in the second half when Lee found the back of the net. The Terriers closed out the game, preventing UNH from encroaching their defense through the remaining 12 minutes. 

The Terriers will have their home-opener against St. Joseph’s on Friday at 6 p.m.