{"id":51493,"date":"2025-11-21T01:33:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T06:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=51493"},"modified":"2025-11-25T11:48:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:48:29","slug":"mens-soccer-an-unfortunate-end-turns-terriers-heads-to-new-season-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2025\/11\/21\/mens-soccer-an-unfortunate-end-turns-terriers-heads-to-new-season-to-come\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s Soccer: An unfortunate end turns Terriers\u2019 heads to new season to come"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jane Guay\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This past season was an unforgettable one for Boston University Men\u2019s Soccer. While it didn\u2019t end the way the Terriers wanted \u2014 after losing to Lehigh in the Patriot League Semifinal Nov. 11 \u2014 the season still showcased plenty of positives and set the stage for an exciting next chapter as BU looks to the next season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers had a questionable ending to their regular season, where the gap between their win-loss record continued to shorten. Still, the Terriers delivered an exciting game Nov. 8, defeating Bucknell 3-1 on Nickerson Field.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Senior defender Aidan Kieffer (15) attempts to gain possession of the ball. | Elyse Paugh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although the Terriers\u2019 No. 4 seed gave them home field advantage over the No. 5 Bison, BU kept its net empty after scoring the first goal at the 1:45 mark, proving much about the team\u2019s defensive ability so early in the Patriot League Tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While facing Lehigh in what would become BU\u2019s final game of the season, the Terriers held the Mountain Hawks to only one goal \u2014 made off the foot of a Terrier in the 54th minute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers struggled offensively in the final game of the tournament, which also was a consistent problem throughout the entire season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flashback to late September to early October, where BU recorded a win streak of four: The Terriers came out on top against Bucknell, Harvard, Loyola Maryland and Colgate \u2014 all within two weeks. Senior midfielder Ethan Gill shined in this period, contributing to his seven goals throughout the season \u2014 the most goals he scored while playing in college.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been huge,\u201d said Head Coach Kevin Nylen of Gill. \u201cHe was a big part of what we did this year, not just because of his seven goals but his experience, his understanding of the league, his soccer IQ, his soccer desire and drive.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gill transferred from Holy Cross to play for his senior year at BU, making this his first year playing in the Patriot League Tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really over the moon and full of joy for him and what he was able to accomplish individually and, by extension, obviously [how he] helped the team this past season,\u201d Nylen said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eleven seniors currently make up the 28-player roster, creating a huge gap as the team looks into next season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New leadership will be emerging \u2014 especially with goalkeeper Sheraz Saadat graduating. Saadat was the starting goalkeeper for half of this past season\u2019s games and proved himself defensively in 2024 after only starting in three games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As he finished the season with a save percentage of 74.5% \u2014 a nearly 8% increase from last season \u2014 Saadat has shown growth in his individual skills, but also the team\u2019s overall strategic defensibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo see how he has improved and matured in front of your eyes on the field \u2026 [we\u2019re] really happy for the work that he put in,\u201d Nylen said. \u201cHe was massive for us this past season.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Junior forward Andrea Di Blasio (7) shoots the ball. | Elyse Paugh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Multiple injuries arose throughout the season, and Nylen said Saadat\u2019s initiative to step up paid off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe took his opportunity, ran with it and was phenomenal for us,\u201d Nylen said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The team\u2019s losses among the seniors extend to the attack as well. Alex Bonnington, who had a standout performance in the Patriot League Tournament, is graduating. For his third year playing with the Terriers, Bonnington finished off with three goals this season \u2014 two of which came from the team\u2019s win against Bucknell in the tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the team\u2019s roster will look different next year, several star players remain \u2014 like Andrea Di Blasio, Sebastian Otero and Pharis Petrica.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Junior forward Di Blasio proved to be a reliable attacking threat this season, finishing the regular year with five goals and one assist. Freshman midfielder Otero was clutch in big moments: All three of his goals this season were game-winners, including a 30-yard strike against Loyola Maryland. Petrica also played a key offensive role, racking up three goals and seven assists during the season, making him one of BU\u2019s top playmaking midfielders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I do know is that we have a great group of men coming back who have gained valuable experience this past year,\u201d Nylen said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with the returning stars, Nylen said they have a solid group of freshmen set to come in next fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Senior midifelder Diego Rived (6) redirects the ball off a corner kick. | Jenny Chen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the Terriers graduating a large senior class, Nylen said the next few months will reveal which returning players rise into larger roles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m excited to see the unknown of the leadership,\u201d said Nylen. \u201cWe have a group of leaders within our program here and now. How do they find their voice and evolve?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, Nylen said, everything begins in the locker room \u2014 and with a strong core returning, he said he is confident BU will remain a top team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s a far way away in terms of the fall season, but before you know it, we’ll be back in getting ready for preseason,\u201d Nylen said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jane Guay\u00a0 This past season was an unforgettable one for Boston University Men\u2019s Soccer. While it didn\u2019t end the way the Terriers wanted \u2014 after losing to Lehigh in the Patriot League Semifinal Nov. 11 \u2014 the season still showcased plenty of positives and set the stage for an exciting next chapter as BU […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24167,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1026,1030,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51493"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51493"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51523,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51493\/revisions\/51523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}