The American University men’s soccer team (6-7-1) defeated Boston University (8-6) on Oct. 19 by a score of 2-1. The game was senior day for the Eagles, as the team honored their seniors’ contributions to the team throughout their years on the team.
Reeves Field was packed with a rowdy crowd ahead of the big game for the Eagles. American honored seven seniors before the game, including goalkeeper Matthew Tibbetts; defenders Jonah Fogel and Taku Takahashi; and midfielders Troy Elgersma, Tim Schliemann, Toshi Davis and Sebastian Garces.
“This whole group came through since I’ve been here. We’ve recruited these guys, so the recruiting process, the families, everything so it just means so much,” head coach Zach Samol said. “They do so much for the program overall, we’ve got much more to go but they deserve so much credit.”
Both teams entered the game 4-1 in the Patriot League and tied atop league standings, meaning the winner of this game would take sole possession of first place in the Patriot League. A win for American would secure them a spot in the league tournament.
“You’re going against a really good BU team with attacking players, the message was we’d have to be a true team and we need guys to step up, we need everybody to perform,” Samol said.
Boston started on a strong foot, forcing Tibbetts to make a save five minutes into the match. The game was intense as both teams battled for possession and looked to find a way to open the scoring.
Despite the pressure from Boston in the first half, the starting defense of Fogel, sophomore midfielder Kobe Keomany, junior defender Ian Webb-Johnson and freshman defender Finn O’Brien put in numerous efforts to block crosses and prevent the Terriers from getting a clear look at the goal.
American had similar poor luck on the offensive end, as Davis had his shot blocked three minutes after Tibbets’ save. A few minutes later, sophomore midfielder Oliver Snowdon also had his shot on goal blocked.
Then, after Boston missed a chance to score, the Eagles struck to take the lead around the 19th minute, with graduate forward Mustapha Sowe leading the way.
Sowe received a long ball from Webb-Johnson, then passed to sophomore midfielder Chris Sullivan, who played give and go with Finn O’Brien on the right wing before Finn O’Brien crossed the ball into the box. Despite a Boston attempt to clear it, the ball fell right to Sowe, who scored his fifth goal of the season, while Finn O’Brien tallied his third assist of the season.
The game marked Finn O’Brien’s third start of his career and logged his career high of 66 minutes played. “I thought I played pretty decent,” Finn O’Brien said. “It was definitely a game I needed to step up in. It was my chance to go and make an impact offensively. All I did was put the ball in the box and Mustapha put it away.”
The Eagles had a chance to extend the lead from a corner 10 minutes later when Keomany sent a header over the bar. A minute later, Finn O’Brien played a through ball for sophomore forward Colin O’Brien whose attempt was blocked by BU goalkeeper Sheraz Saadat.
With five minutes to go, Tibbetts was called into action once again, albeit for a relatively comfortable save. Boston had a chance to equalize from a free kick taken by sophomore midfielder Pharis Petrica, but it went wide of the goal.
This game between two of the Patriot League’s best teams was a tight affair in the first half. American’s defensive and midfield team effort worked to perfection, preventing Boston from getting significant chances on goal.
The second half was just as tightly played as the first. Junior midfielder Reyes Parra fired a shot on goal that was comfortably saved by Saadat within the opening two minutes.
Just three minutes later, Sowe had a chance to shoot on goal when he was played in behind by Garces, but his effort hit the side netting. Sowe continued to apply pressure on the Terriers. Just a minute later, he received a pass from Garces and controlled the ball with his chest before firing on goal, but Saadat made a quick save on Sowe.
The momentum swung back into Boston’s favor as they piled pressure on the American backline and forced Tibbetts into another save in the 52nd minute. Boston eventually got their equalizer a minute later when senior midfielder Ethan Gill snuck in between Keomany and Fogel to head the ball past Tibbetts.
Just four minutes later, in the 56th minute, American found a response through Sowe, who was played in behind by sophomore midfielder Javi Gonzalez. The goal was Sowe’s team-leading fifth of the season, while Gonzalez tallied his first career point for American.
Boston looked ready to respond again, but the Eagles hunkered down defensively as the midfield and defense worked in synchrony to prevent Boston from creating any real danger.
While Boston did have six shots, three of them were blocked by the Eagles’ ferocious defense. Tibbets made two more saves, bringing his total of the day to six saves. The Eagles had a chance to put the game away when Colin O’Brien was played through on a breakaway, but Saadat was equal to the challenge and prevented him from adding a third goal for the Eagles.
The win moved the Eagles atop the Patriot League and 2 points clear of second place. It also confirmed their place in the Patriot League tournament with three games left on their regular season schedule.
Keomany, Webb-Johnson and Fogel, who were crucial at the back, and Snowdon played all 90 minutes. Each team had 7 shots on goal, however Boston had more corners, two to one, and American committed 12 fouls to Boston’s seven.
Samol praised the defensive effort and the resilience of his team.
“We decided to be aggressive in our pressure today,” Samol said. “I thought we defended really well. I thought our fullbacks and our back four did a great job except for the goal, but other than that they didn’t have a lot of chances. Really proud of the back four to just limit a high attack and a high scoring team.”
Finn O’Brien credited the leadership at the back for their excellent defensive performance.
“We have great leaders in the back like Ian and Jonah. They’re huge leaders, captains on the team, Kobe is a great leader too,” he said. “It’s easy to fit into that back line when you have everybody that knows what they’re doing and they really take care of you and teach you what’s going on.”
The Eagles went on a two-game road trip following this game, first drawing 0-0 at Bucknell on Oct. 25. and then beating Holy Cross 2-1 clinching a first round bye in the Patriot League Tournament. They’ll finish out the regular season at home on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. against Navy.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman, Ryan Sieve, Audrey Smith, and Ava Stuzin.
