Men’s Soccer: Terriers finish regular season in 1-1 draw with Holy Cross in Turnpike Trophy matchup

By Anna Rozinsky

Boston University Men’s Soccer (4-3-10, 4-1-4 PL) won the Patriot League regular season title for the second consecutive year with a draw to Holy Cross (4-9-5, 3-3-3 PL) on Tuesday night in the Turnpike Trophy season finale in Worcester, MA. 

Only 90 seconds after kickoff, the Terriers took a big blow to their lineup after junior midfielder Diego Rived had to leave the field due to injury. The sudden stoppage of play slowed down any early momentum either team had building, however BU managed to maintain possession for the slow start. 

It wasn’t until the 15th minute that either team got a solid chance on net, with the Terriers earning the first corner of the match. Junior defenseman Ryan Lau took the kick but sent the ball in short and it was quickly cleared by Holy Cross. 

In the 20th minute, the first shot on goal came from the Terriers as freshman Markus Ramsey got a look that was poked out by Crusaders keeper Tristan Stephani, giving BU another corner kick. The corner was again taken by Lau and sent low, and was cleared out by Holy Cross. 

As the game got into its rhythm, the physicality began to pick up as well. With a lot on the line for Holy Cross to stay in the running for a playoff spot, things began to get chippy. It was a “typical end-of-the-year game with a lot of competitive and physical play” remarked BU Head Coach Kevin Nylen. 

In the 30th minute on an unfortunate turnover from BU goalkeeper Andrew Wike, Holy Cross took the ball into the box. With the Terriers struggling to clear, and on a bouncing ball deep in the six, senior forward Evan Jones hit the ball one-time out of the air and into the net to put the Crusaders up 1-0. 

Holy Cross doubled back and attempted to play a more compact formation, but with some fouls and a yellow card called on Holy Cross sophomore Ethan Gill, the Terriers gained momentum back the other way and were awarded a corner in the 37th minute. 

Once again taken by Lau, this time the ball was sent high, causing chaos in the box. The ball ricocheted off both the back post and the crossbar before being hit into the back of the net by junior Alex Bonnington, leveling out the score to 1-1. 

Going into the second half, the Terriers looked to keep their momentum going with a few early chances including a corner kick in the 50th minute that was pinballing in the box but was eventually cleared out by the Crusaders. 

The physical play continued, and neither team looked to have a solid chance until a dangerous 1v1 situation in the 75th minute between Wike and Jones had Wike stepping far off his line to make an important save that kept the Crusaders from going up a tally. That play was quickly followed up with another 1v1 situation that had Wike stepping out of the box completely to make a stop. 

“I tip my hat to him. He made some big saves tonight,” Nylen said. “Wike had to be called on to make some big stops”. 

The game drew to a close with Holy Cross doing everything they could to get back in the box, but the Terriers held their own and finished out with their tenth draw of the season. 

“They make it difficult with how they play and how they put balls back into zones,” Nylen said. But now, “it’s nice to be able to know you’re not going for another week and can we get our legs under us – it’s a good feeling knowing that”. 

The Terriers have a week off after clinching the one seed going into patriot league playoffs and are set to face the lowest remaining seed at Nickerson Field on Tuesday, November 12th.