M. Soccer Preps for Terrier Attack

After a weekend that went from desperation to ecstasy in under 24 hours, the men's soccer team will face the Boston University Terriers today at 3 P.M. on Ohiri Field.

The game holds special significance as the two teams face each other only days after they both played No. 1 Creighton to vastly different outcomes.

The Crimson (1-2) fell to the Bluejays on Saturday in a 6-0 loss that saw five different Creighton players register goals.

The Terriers (2-2-1) tied Creighton, 0-0, despite playing 65 minutes of regulation and two 15-minute overtimes a man down after midfielder Ikeh Umey was sent off with a red card in the 25th minute.

For Harvard, the game provides a chance to prove it was in bad form against Creighton and to regain respect against an obviously talented Terrier defense.

"We especially want to get a good result against B.U.," said senior Will Hench. "We need to prove that the Creighton game was a bit of a fluke, that we can score on a top defense."

The challenge may not be as out of reach as it seems.

Although Creighton netted six goals against the Crimson and managed nothing against the Terriers, the score lines are misleading.

Harvard actually outshot Creighton, 13-10, and led the Jays in corner kicks, 7-2.

"If you forget the three goals, which all came off of Harvard mistakes, we actually outplayed and out shot Creighton in the first half," sophomore goalie Mike Meagher said.

In a stark contrast, the Terriers were thoroughly outplayed in the offensive end, taking only five shots to Creighton's 18, and giving up 13 corner kicks while taking only two.

The differences in the games were Creighton's accuracy and perhaps a little luck--the Jays hit the post four times and missed an empty net on a break away late in the B.U. game.

The Terriers' challenge is to produce a result that proves to the rest of the NCAA that it can run with the nation's top competition and produce an offensive effort that shows they have some weapons in the front.

Add all of this to the cross-town rivalry, and it could be a hot one at Ohiri.

"B.U. is always a big game for Harvard soccer--last year we won 2-1 in the second overtime," Meagher said. "Everything gets thrown out the window when we play them. We are going to play hard, and so are they."

B.U., which features nine international players on its 26-man roster, will play today's game with an established star on the sidelines and a new one in-between the posts.

The Terriers are without All-America midfielder Sigurd Dalen, who has been sidelined recently with an injured right foot and ankle. Dalen registered 10 goals and five assists last season, for a team-high 25 points.

While Dalen has been sitting out, goalie Matt Smith has stolen the Terrier spotlight. Smith, a 6-3 freshman from Lanchester, England, has posted a 1-1-1 record and registered 15 saves, including seven against Creighton on Sunday. The performance earned the frosh America East Rookie of the Week honors.

Before coming to B.U., Smith played on the England Schoolboys Under-18 national team. He carries a stellar .44 goals against average and a .882 save percentage into today's game.

Since its 2-1 win against Columbia on Sunday, the Crimson has focused on fundamentals that were absent in the Creighton match.

"We went over the Creighton game tape, and we focused on trying not to make so many mistakes in the back," Hench said. "We also spent a lot of time on finishing in practice."

Hoping practice makes perfect, the Crimson will try to finish their scoring chances against the Terriers and regain the respect lost on Saturday.