The BU women’s soccer team, ranked third in the Patriot League preseason poll, is looking to make the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth consecutive season. Photo by Tim Carey

BU Athletics

Men’s, Women’s Soccer Open Patriot League Play Saturday in Home Doubleheader

Women will host Loyola Maryland, then men take on Lehigh

Flush with veteran leadership and playoff experience, both BU soccer teams are slated to open Patriot League play in a doubleheader at Nickerson Field Saturday afternoon. The women will host Loyola Maryland at 1 pm, the men will face Lehigh at 5 pm.

Both teams qualified for the Patriot League Tournament last year and now have their eyes trained on getting back to that stage for a second consecutive year. 

Saturday’s matchups are an important litmus test for both groups. 

Men’s soccer

Off to its best start in seven years, the men’s squad has thrived in competition against its nonconference slate. The Terriers (3-2-0), ranked second in the Patriot League preseason poll, have posted the second-best record in the league.

Experience has been the catalyst, with veterans Francesco Montali (COM’24), Griffin Roach (Questrom’24), captain Quinn Matulis (CAS’23, SHA’24), Colin Innes (CAS’23, Wheelock’24), Eitan Rosen (Questrom’24), Andrew Wike (Questrom’24), and John Roman (ENG’26) leading the charge on and off the pitch.

“This has been the most mature, most experienced group we’ve had since we’ve been here as a staff,” says head coach Kevin Nylen, who has led the team since 2020. “They’ve been with us for three years in training, they know expectations, and they drive a lot of that.” 

Roach attributes much of BU’s early success this fall to a productive offseason of training, highlighted by a series of six scrimmages against other collegiate teams in the spring. The Terriers posted a 5-0-1 record in that stretch.

“It’s really been a stepping stone that has gotten us to right now,” Roach says. “I think that’s really where all the confidence comes from.”

Roach was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week and Montali Goalkeeper of the Week on September 4 after their efforts in BU’s two-win week: a 1-0 victory over St. Joseph’s and a 2-1 defeat of UMass Lowell at the September 3 Terrier Tailgate on Nickerson Field. 

Other familiar faces fill in the rest of the lineup. Matulis is positioned to lead the team in scoring for the third consecutive season. He snagged Patriot League Offensive Player and Midfielder of the Week honors on August 28. Innes, a member of the Patriot League preseason All-League Team, is another key cog in the midfield. 

That doesn’t mean BU’s younger players won’t crack the lineup, though. Two of the Terriers’ four freshmen, Luke Dunne (CDS’27) and Jason Zacarias (CAS’27), have played in all five nonconference games. 

“They’ve worked hard, the upperclassmen have brought them in and assimilated them into the program and the culture and what’s expected,” Nylen says of the newcomers. “They all have unique talents, they all play different positions. But the one thing that is constant is they all have strong character and they all have good backgrounds.” 

Nylen also notes that in BU’s season-opening 2-1 win over Albany, three of the four freshmen played the final minutes of the tightly contested game. 

“How many other teams in the country ended their first game of the season with three freshmen on the field?” Nylen says. “That’s a testament to the work they’ve done, as well as the work that the upperclassmen have done, and the belief and the respect that they have for those guys.” 

Women’s soccer

If the men’s team is defined by its upperclassmen, the women’s squad is driven by its young talent. Of BU’s six goalscorers, four are sophomores: Giuliana Gianino (Sargent’26), Natalie Godoy (COM’26), Shayla Brown (CAS’26), and Mackenzie Stickelman (COM’26). 

The roster of talented underclassmen complementing this year’s bench of seniors makes second-year head coach Casey Brown (COM’10) confident in her squad as it prepares for the Patriot League slate and beyond.

“It’s important for the now, but it’s important for the long-term perspective of the program,” Brown says of this year’s team’s balance of youth and experience. “We really feel that we have a lot of talent on this roster. But we also want to grow and get experience with our players.”

The team’s veteran leadership starts with the four captains: Abigail McNulty (Sargent’24), Grace Ferrara (COM’24), Lily Matthews (CAS’24), and Kayla Ross (SHA’24). 

“They’ve been fantastic,” Brown says. “I’m really proud of them. I think what they’ve brought is their own leadership styles amongst the four of them, and I think that’s really important. They’ve been super authentic.”

Returning are three of the four leading scorers from last year—Morgan Fagan (Questrom’25), McNulty, and Giannino. All three were named to the Patriot League preseason All-League Team. 

BU ranked third in the Patriot League preseason poll, behind Army and Bucknell, which knocked the Terriers out of the Patriot League Tournament the last two years. BU has qualified for postseason play for the past three seasons, but hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2018.

After splitting time in net for the last two seasons, Celia Braun (CAS’25) has assumed full-time goalkeeping responsibilities.

BU has posted a 3-3-2 record, including a 1-0 win over Vermont in the season opener on August 17, a 3-2 victory over Albany on August 27, and a 2-1 triumph September 10 over defending America East Conference champion New Hampshire. 

The key to the Terriers’ success has been an emphasis on a tough, hard-nosed style of play. “We obviously play a very technical brand of soccer, but also try to be really gritty and get locked in and do whatever it takes to score goals and win games,” Ross says. 

That’s a sentiment shared by Brown.

“We feel we’re gritty and a tough team to break down, but I think you also see that level of fight in the attack,” Brown says. “We’d like to be a 90-minute team. We don’t like to give up. But I think there’s a lot of quality to what we do on the ball and through all three thirds of the field.”

The BU women’s soccer team hosts Loyola Maryland in the Patriot League opener on Saturday, September 16, at 1 pm, then at 5 pm, it’s men’s soccer vs. Lehigh. Both games are on Nickerson Field. Admission is free and games can be streamed live on ESPN+.