Berube, O'Neal leads Terriers over #12 UConn

by Lee Feiner
The UConn Huskies got tired of hearing the name of sophomore midfielder Michael Bustamante (’12) repeated ad naseum, so they opted for a different refrain Saturday night. With the Huskies keying on the star mid-fielder, sophomore Ben Berube (’12) was given the field space to create, and create he did turning a first half of strong challenges into a game winning goal en route to a Terriers 3-0 victory. He constantly got behind the defense, flying up the left wing with delicate first touches that he tracked down again and again.

It was clear from warm-ups that size was going to be an issue for the Terriers. The Huskies seemed a head above anyone on the Boston University roster, and head coach Neil Roberts didn’t shy away from the potential match up problem, "We knew it was going to be a problem going in, so you have to stop the service and put a body on them." It was easier said than done, as Senior midfielder Mike Pezza put a corner kick onto the head of Tony Cascio, forcing Boston University’s senior keeper Hrafn Davidsson (’10) to make a diving save. This resulted in another corner that was put on net by the Huskies’ massive back Kwame Watson-Siriboe. That attempt was controlled by Davidsson (’10), and after that flurry of activity, the momentum started to shift in favor of the Terriers.

Just a few minutes later, Berube took a Bustamante ('12) pass and let loose from just outside the 18-yard box. In a sequence not unlike Colby Cohen’s hockey national championship-winning goal, the ball immediately deflected off of a defender’s foot and fluttered over the outstretched arm of Huskies’ goalkeeper Lionel Brown. Berube controlled the pace of play the entire half, directing the attack from the offensive left side and putting constant pressure on the defense. Coach Roberts described Berube as, "quicker than he is fast," making him most dangerous "the backs come up and he can slip that ball in there."

The first half ended with the Terriers leading 1-0. UConn managed to slow Berube in the second frame, but their increased attention on the sophomore back allowed junior forward Aaron O’Neil (’11) to slip behind the UConn defense and score two late goals to ice an impressive 3-0 win. And when it was all over, the team in red shook hands, and calmly walked back into the locker room. There was no dog pile or pageantry. The game just ended.

As calm and collected as the Terriers were on the field after the game, no one dared to linger and bask in the moment. Coach Roberts urged his players to get on the bus and out of Storrs as fast as possible. It felt more like a bank heist than an upset victory. There was an air of ‘did we really just do that?’ combined with ‘lets leave before anyone notices.’ But as the wheels started turning and the lights went out, Coach Roberts made it clear that this was no flash in the barrel, "You wanted to be a player nationally," he said, "Well, this gives you the opportunity to be a player nationally.”

This team isn't just in the mix for a conference championship, they might be stirring the pot come the NCAA Tournament.