By Ali Parisi
MS Public Relations ’16
BU College of Communication
Yes, it’s true: you can still be a college sports fan while in grad school! In fact, this year, Boston University has had some exceptionally exciting teams that have led fans on an entertaining journey. Point in case, the BU men’s soccer team.
Back in August, the team started their season off with a dramatic win, scoring in the last second of overtime to beat Fordham 1-0. They rounded out opening weekend with a win over Iona during a torrential downpour. Alright, so they won their first two games. What’s the big deal? Well, this happened to be the first time the Terriers opened their season with a 2-0-0 record since 2001. Things were off to a great start for the boys of BU.
The team hit a few bumps through the rest of their non-conference schedule, marking two losses in early September. However, by the time they reached conference play, the Terriers were ready to go. The men defeated both Navy and Army in their first two games of Patriot League play, setting the tone for the rest of their season. For their next seven conference games, they were able to remain undefeated, rounding out their regular season play with six wins and three ties.
The Terriers earned the right to host the Patriot League conference tournament on their home field. However, they had to overcome Army in order to make it to the next game, or else the championship would be played on Nickerson Field by two out-of-state competitors.
Just like they did in their opening weekend, the men had to show extreme grit to come out on top. They had some serious chances throughout regulation play, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net. That is until the last two minutes of double overtime, when senior Cameron Souri served the ball across straight to the head of fellow classmate Dominique Badji, who was able to direct the ball on goal and away from Army’s keeper.
Unfortunately, the drama wasn’t quite over for the Terriers as they headed into the championship game against Bucknell two days later: they fell down a goal, then tied it up, then fell down another good, then tied it up again. But in the first overtime, Bucknell finished off the job, claiming the Patriot League title with a 3-2 win over BU.
Though they couldn’t come away with a win in the end, the Terriers have much to be proud of. This year’s team was the first team in 20 years to go through a conference schedule without a single loss. They were ranked 24th in the country by the NSCAA and finished the season with an 11-3-4 overall record. Several players earned All-Conference honors, including Coach of the Year Neil Roberts, Offensive Player of the Year Dominique Badji, and Rookie of the Year Bjarki Benediktsson.
See, you don’t have to stop rooting for collegiate sports, even if it isn’t for your alma mater… Go Terriers!