Men’s Soccer Optimistic Despite Slow Start

This year’s men’s soccer is a young team, with eight freshmen and eight sophomores.

Men’s soccer head coach Neil Roberts knew the 2017 season would be challenging. Not only did six of his players graduate last May, two of them tri-captains Matt Gilbert (Questrom’17) and Felix De Bona (CGS’15, CAS’17), but the incoming team was heavy on youth, with 16 underclassmen, and inexperienced. What Roberts hadn’t anticipated was losing key player Anthony Viteri (CGS’16, Questrom’18), whose BU career has been truncated by problems stemming from concussions.

A two-time All-Conference First Team honoree, Viteri coled the team in both goals (8) and points (18) last season and was expected to be a leader and the centerpiece of the offense this season.

Without its star, the Terriers, who host Harvard tomorrow night, have started the season with a 0-5-0 record, allowing 13 goals and failing to score one of their own.

Roberts is urging his players to remain patient. “It’s difficult for the players because they’re used to winning,” he says. “But we’ve just got to make sure they stay patient and let them know it’s a process and that we will get there eventually.”

So this year’s Terriers have been a bit uncertain, without a designated captain and with a tentative starting lineup that includes seven underclassmen.

“We’re asking them to do a lot,” says Roberts, now in his 33rd season at the helm. “With Anthony leaving earlier, not being on the field now, we’ve got to kind of develop some new guys, and that’s always difficult. Guys you like to groom that will be ready in a year from now, we’re going to try to get them ready now.”

Among those coming forward is Jerry Ozor (CGS’18), who has started in every game this season and last year recorded a team-high five assists. Ozor says the lack of clear leadership on the team has challenged him and fellow teammates to grow as players and as leaders.

“It’s given some of us the opportunity to step up as leaders,” he says. “A couple of sophomores and juniors are already stepping up into their role, and I think that’s like a silver lining that we’re going to see. This year’s experience will really propel us in the near future.”

Despite their disappointing start, Ozor says he and his teammates are optimistic about the rest of the season. “As anyone can tell, it’s very hard to stay positive in a situation like this,” he says, “but I think overall we have some really mature players on the team who get what kind of position we’re in, but still see the opportunity where we can actually turn the season around, and make something incredible out of it.”

Among the old hands is Adam Sheikali (CAS’18), who’s been encouraging the underclassmen to trust their veteran coach. “He’s been in every situation you can imagine,” Sheikali says, “and the reason he can get on us and be hard on us and demand so much from us is because he knows what we’re capable of.”

The early turbulence is nothing new for Sheikali. He’s had a successful BU career, but he knows that there are always rough spots at some point during the season.

“In previous years, we ran into the same issues,” he says. “We learned from those experiences, and we kept working, kept moving forward, and we picked up momentum when it really mattered. It’s almost good, in the sense that teams might be writing us off at the beginning, and then at the end, when we start gaining steam, we’ll catch them off guard.”

Sheikali saw this approach succeed firsthand during his sophomore year, when the Terriers picked up momentum towards the end of the season to gain an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. As a member of that tournament-bound team, he knows what it takes to get there, and he says the current players have some of the valuable characteristics necessary to help them get on track.

“Everyone wants to play, and they’re putting in extra work,” he says. “Everyone’s been staying positive. It’s obviously difficult, but we’ve just been saying, ‘Don’t focus on the record. Just keep believing in yourself. Keep believing in our system. Lean on the guys next to you, and they’ll lean back on you.’”

Sheikali says he’s been particularly impressed by the effort and commitment of the freshmen, who have to learn a new system and balance academics and soccer. “It’s really easy to say, ‘I don’t really understand what’s happening. I’m just going to take a backseat, and hope for the best,’” he says, “but it’s another thing to be actively engaged, asking questions, watching film, and really wanting to be better.”

In turn, the underclassmen have challenged the upperclassmen to continue to rise to the occasion. “Nothing riles you up more than seeing freshmen trying to take your position,” says Sheikali.

The Terriers know the importance of playing well in tomorrow’s game against Harvard and when they host Princeton on September 19. Those games could give them needed momentum as they prepare to launch their conference play at American on September 23.

“This season’s just started,” Sheikali says. “It’s not over by a long shot.”

The BU men’s soccer team takes on Harvard University tomorrow, Saturday, September 16, at 7 p.m., at Nickerson Field, 285 Babcock St. Admission is free for all BU students with a sports pass, $3 for faculty, staff, and students without a sports pass, and $5 for the general public. The Patriot League Network will broadcast the game live.

Jonathan Chang can be reached at jchang19@bu.edu.