Men's Soccer Preview

Courtesy: Americaeast.com

By: Lee Feiner


There are two things I remember from high school physics. The first is that a curve ball is supposedly an optical illusion: a teaching point I assisted in driving home when I convinced my teacher to grab a bat to prove his theory. The class watched him flail helplessly at three of my best “optical illusions” in the dirt and I walked off the mound feeling like a regular David Blaine. The second and final lesson I managed to retain from that ill-fated foray into advanced science was the concept of momentum.
Momentum= Mass x Velocity

In other words, an imposing object moving really fast has a lot of momentum and is subsequently very hard to slow down. Apply this formula to the reigning heavyweight champions of America East soccer, moving faster than ever towards a second consecutive conference title, and it becomes abundantly clear that the Men’s Soccer Team might be impossible to stop.

Coming off of a 12-6-3 record, conference championship, and an NCAA birth, the Terriers are returning 10 starters and bringing in a stellar recruiting class. All signs point toward last season being a stepping stone rather than a pinnacle in the recent success of this program. the Boston University Terriers have been picked to repeat as conference champs, along with being given a top-25 pre-season ranking in the NCSAA poll. Clearly expectations are high.

One big loss the Terriers will have to cope with is the graduation of America East tournament Most Valuable Player Jin Oh ('09). His 4 goals and 12 shots on goal provided constant pressure on opposing goal keepers and forced opposing coaches to ensure he was marked at all times. That void will have to be filled by senior co-captain and forward Shaun Taylor ('09) and two extremely talented freshmen. The freshmen forwards, Ade Akinsanya ('13), the 23rd ranked recruit in the nation according to TopDrawerSoccer.com, and Nick Prunier ('13) who is third all-time in Massachusetts high school history with 105 goals scored, will be expected to contribute early and often.

The forwards will share the field with America East midfielder and Rookie of the Year Michael Bustamante ('12). An absolute terror in the offensive mid-field, the sophomore midfielder will look to build on a 2 goal, 9 assist season and put more of his spectacular long distance attempts on net. If there was one area Bustamante could improve, it would be his percentage of shots on goal. However, his fearless foot work in traffic and willingness to fire a shot from almost anywhere forced opposing defenders to mark their men with one eye always on him.

The other major loss for the Terriers was defensive stalwart Dan Schultz ('09). There are several options that BU coach Neil Roberts has at his disposal to fill the void but one intriguing option comes from over-seas. Junior back Ben Havey comes to BU with a wealth of experience from Preston, England. His speed and versatility will make him an attractive option on the back line.

This team has the chance to not only repeat as conference champions but also make a deep run into the NCAA tournament. With a schedule that includes the University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, St. Johns, a nationally televised game against Boston College and a league full of talented teams seeking to knock off the defending champions, the Terriers will not have an easy go of it. But the momentum this team has carried from the end of last year, through the summer and into the fall, is certainly no optical illusion.