Men’s Soccer: Terriers secure win at home agains the Bucknell Bison
By Tyler Davis
Boston University Men’s Soccer (1-3-8, 1-1-2 PL) inches out the Bucknell Bison (4-4-3, 2-0-2 PL) with a final scoreline of 1-0.
In the last meeting between the Terriers and Bison at Nickerson resulted in a 2-0 win for the Terriers.
With the series history between the two teams panning out to be an even 3-3-6, there was tension coming into the game to see who would take the series lead.
The game started off with a Bison turnover and an early shot within the first minute that was saved by Goalkeeper Freddie Lapworth.
After the Bison cleared the ball, the Terriers got another early chance from midfielder Andrew Rent on a header from a cross in the third minute.
Shortly after, the Terriers received a free kick which was saved by Lapworth.
With the Terriers dominating possession, the Bison got a chance in the seventh minute which was cleared out by Terrier defense.
After back-and-forth play, the Bison won a free kick in the 12th minute which was sent deep towards the right corner, with no chances coming from it.
With the Terriers rushing down left field, Lapworth rushed out of goal to clear the ball, a nearly costly mistake for the Bison leaving the net wide open. The Terriers were unable to score off of this chance in the 14th minute.
The Terriers got another chance in the 18th minute from a cross in the box, which forward Andrea Di Blasio attempted to head towards goal, but he was unsuccessful.
Minutes later Di Blasio received another floating cross he tried to head towards goal, but it went out of bounds.
In the 26th minute midfielder Kevin Torres took a shot from deep outside the box, but it went just high off the crossbar.
Shortly after in the 31st minute, the Terriers had another big chance on a breakaway, but the shot from midfielder Diego Rived went just wide of the goal.
With another cross into the box, the Terriers attempted another shot that was saved by Lapworth in the 36th minute.
Minutes later, defenseman Quin DeLaMater took a shot from deep, but Lapworth saved it once again.
After Lapworth’s save, the Bison rushed towards the Terrier goal and took a shot from deep, but it was just wide of the post in the 39th minute.
With more back-and-forth play from both sides, the first half closed off.
Going into the second half, the Terriers started their pressure right away, receiving an early free kick in on their offensive half.
Midfielder Aidan Holmes took the free kick for the Terriers, but it went out of play.
With the Bison pressuring the Terriers, Goalkeeper Andrew Wike had to make a diving save to poke away the ball from goal.
In the 51st minute of the game, the Bison received another chance off a free kick, but the Bison received an offside call.
The Bison got another chance off a run, but the Terrier defense kicked the ball out of bounds.
Minutes later, forward Daloma Salami had a chance right in front of the goal, but the ball was shot just wide in the 55th minute.
After another rush from the Terriers, forward Keke Abai had a chance right in front of goal, but Lapworth made the 1v1 save in the 57th minute.
Salami had another chance in the 60th minute, shooting the ball from deep, but it went just high of the crossbar.
After a yellow card on defenseman Aidan Lowlor, the Terriers took a free kick but were unable to make a chance out of it.
Another yellow card was given out to forward Cade Whitmire in the 63rd minute.
With the Bison picking up pressure in the second half, the Bison got another chance with a header towards goal in the 66th minute, but the ball was claimed by Wike.
The Bison got another chance in the 69th minute off a rush, but the Terrier defense kept the ball out of the goal with a slide tackle.
After the Terriers rushed to their offensive half, Di Blasio scored from inside the box in the 71st minute, giving the Terriers the lead late in the game. The goal was assisted by Rived.
With the Bison gaining momentum after the goal by Di Blasio, they took a free kick in the 74th minute, but it was cleared by the Terrier defense.
The Terriers got another chance in the 78th minute, but the ball was cleared by the Bison defense.
Midfielder Jason Zacarias received a yellow card in the 80th minute.
With the Bison looking for an equalizer, they had a promising chance in the 82nd minute with the defense scrambling back, but the ball was shot just wide of the post.
In the 86th minute, Wike made a clutch save for the Terriers in the final minutes, sending the ball over the goal on a corner to keep a clean sheet.
In the final minutes of the game, the Bison were hungry to change the scoreline, gaining many chances toward the net. Ultimately, they were unable to capitalize on their chances.
“It’s our first win since September 14th. Great day. Clean Sheet. Found the back of the net,” said Head Coach Kevin Nylen.
The Terriers will next face Colgate on Saturday October 19th at 3 p.m.