Men’s Soccer Season Kicks Off
Team hosts rival BC on Saturday
The men’s soccer Terriers won’t have an easy task at Saturday’s home opener against crosstown rival Boston College. The last time the two teams met, on August 25, 2006, BU eked out a 2-1 double-overtime victory.
Perhaps having a few thousand fans on hand will help the cause this year. A Terrier Tailgate event kicks off at 5 p.m. at Nickerson Field, and more than 5,000 students, parents, faculty, and staff members are expected to attend. Free hot dogs and refreshments will be available until 6:30, and a party will be held at the George Sherman Union following the 7 o’clock game.
The Terrier men’s soccer team finished last season with an overall record of 10-4-5. A preseason poll of America East coaches picked BU to finish second in the league, behind Binghamton. The teams have a storied past, meeting for three straight years in the America East tournament, with penalty kicks deciding the contests. The Bearcats knocked BU off 6-5 last season and 4-3 in 2005. In 2004, BU won 5-3.
BU has 18 returning players suiting up this season, including 4 starters, with 9 incoming players rounding out the roster. A trio of juniors is expected to lead BU’s offensive effort. Petur Sigurdsson (CAS’09) led the team in points (17), goals (8), game-winning goals (3), and shots on goal (41) in 2006. He was named to the America East Second Team All-Conference.
Dan Schultz (CAS’09) played in all 19 games last season, scoring three goals and leading the team in assists, with four. He scored two game-winning goals, against Binghamton and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Jin Oh (CAS’09) led BU’s scoring in America East games, with five goals on the season. He took 27 shots on goal and tallied one assist.
Neil Hlavaty (CAS’09) returns to the midfield for the Terriers following a 10-point season in 2006. He was named to the First-Team All–America East and finished with four goals and two assists. Samuel Appiah (SMG’10) made last season’s America East All-Rookie Team, starting in 13 of 19 games. He scored two goals and had two assists, finishing fourth on the team for points, with six.
Led this year by captains Paul Mignogna (SMG’08) and Derek Puera (COM’09), BU’s defense shut out eight teams last season and allowed only 12 goals. Mignogna had one assist for the year and played in 15 games. Puera started in 18 games and took three shots on goal. Back Jon Jonsson (CAS’10) had three assists and eight shots on goal.
Joe Cullaro (CAS’10) and Jason Lucas (CAS’10) will be spending time in goal for the Terriers this season.
Abby Jordan can be reached at ajordan@bu.edu.