Men’s Soccer: Terrier salvage tie against Saint Mary’s College

By Tyler Davis

Boston University (0-0-3) drew 1-1 in their first-ever matchup against Saint Mary’s College (1-2-0) as they continue to get closer to Patriot League action.

“It’s just different playing against East teams here as opposed to playing against West Coast teams,” said goalscorer Daniel Kim.

Going into the game, Saint Mary’s sat mid-ranged in the West Coast Conference standings, while BU finished their 2023 season with a Patriot League title.

Within the first minutes of the game, Saint Mary’s quickly applied pressure to BU, however, BU was able to match the Gaels’ intensity.

Saint Mary’s tested the Terriers early on with a direct free kick, but BU goalie Ben Alexander was equal to it in the bottom right corner.

BU soon after had a chance in the 14th minute from forward Damola Salami, but it was knocked off the field from the left post.

The first yellow card was given to BU midfielder Kevin Torres for a push on Saint Mary’s. This was followed by a chance from Saint Mary’s, though Ben Alexander made a diving save to prevent any early goals.

To add on to this already eventful first half, BU took their first corner kick at 16:39, though it was headed away from the Saint Mary’s goal.

Saint Mary’s quickly returned the pressure on BU, forcing defenseman Neal Carlson to make a slide tackle which prevented a goal.

This was followed up by a big chance for Salami again in the 26th minute, though the ball went just high over the crossbar.

Terrier forward Andrea Di Blasio created another big chance for BU in the 29th minute, but couldn’t convert.

In the 41st minute, the ball deflected off a BU defender, causing an own goal and giving the Gaels a 1-0 lead. Credit for the goal was given to defender David Christensen, assisted by defender Luke Lawrence.

“I thought the first half in particular… wasn’t a great product,” said head coach Kevin Nylen.

Saint Mary’s came back into the second half strong, applying even more pressure on the BU defense, which eventually led to another Saint Mary’s foul.

BU took their first corner of the second half in the 53rd minute, though the ball was kicked out of bounds on the right side of the field.

With tensions rising, Saint Mary’s midfielder Cade Cowen received a yellow card for tugging a BU player down in the 56th minute.

Eventually, the game went back to a passing match, with possession becoming even.

While BU kept their pressure against Saint Mary’s, they continued to be unsuccessful in capitalizing on any chances.

However, Saint Mary’s also kept the pressure against BU, having another chance in the 65th minute, though it was saved by Ben Alexander.

BU shortly matched this with their own chance, which they scored on. The goal was scored by midfielder Daniel Kim in the 72nd minute from outside the box. He was assisted by midfielder Diego Rived.

With a jolt of life from the game-tied goal, BU continued to attempt to get another goal through a corner kick in the 79th minute, though it was deflected outside the box.

With tensions continuing to rise between the two teams, the 83rd minute saw a yellow card issued to BU’s Daniel Kim and a red card issued to Saint Mary’s Wade Muttitt.

Despite Saint Mary’s playing with a man down, they had another scoring chance in the 84th minute, which Alexander made a double save on.

Shortly after, another red card was issued to Saint Mary’s midfielder Cesar Batres in the 88th minute.

With Saint Mary’s two men down, BU continued to pressure, looking to win the game, however, they were unsuccessful.

“It’s not all doom and gloom. It’s September 5th and we still haven’t lost a game,” said Nylen.

The Terriers will return to Nickerson this Sunday at 6 p.m. to take on Santa Clara.