Boston College men’s soccer played its first official game back at home since the team nearly danced its way into the College Cup last fall, edging out rival Boston University (0-1-0) in a 3-2 victory.
Simon Enstrom’s 70th-minute screamer, his first of the season, proved to be the game-winner in front of a packed crowd of 1,688 fans at Newton Campus Field. The sophomore from Sweden took advantage of a Terrier turnover in the midfield, streaked down the left side of the pitch, and blasted one past the BU goalkeeper to give the No. 10 Eagles (2-0-0) a 3-1 lead.
The match didn’t start quite as pretty for BC, though. BU’s Magnus Benediktsson ripped a shot in the 19th minute that deflected off goalkeeper Cedric Saladin and landed at the feet of Anthony Viteri. The Terrier forward took a touch before burying an easy goal for an early 1-0 advantage.
But the Eagles would respond with two quick goals before halftime to shift the momentum of the game. First, Joshua Forbes found himself on the receiving end of a Callum Johnson cross in the 38th minute, tapping in the equalizer with his left foot—the first goal of his college career. Three minutes later, freshman Maximillian Schulze-Geisthovel broke away from the defense and snuck the ball through the goalie’s legs to hand BC its first lead of the evening.
After Enstrom’s insurance goal, BU answered in the 88th minute as Benediktsson forced Rafael Salama into a turnover deep in BC territory and passed to a wide open Felix De Bona for the finish.
For a lineup that graduated only one starter last year, head coach Ed Kelly featured a surprising number of new faces in the home opener. Joshua Forbes started on defense in Atobra Ampadu’s former position, Tomas Gudmundsson filled in for the injured Len Zeugner, and Younes Boudadi made his debut to round out the back line. Callum Johnson and Schulze-Geisthovel also impressed in the home opener.
The Eagles’ recent national rankings may be somewhat misleading—this team is largely the same group that placed sixth in the ACC last season. But as last year’s Cinderella run showed, BC owns an explosive attack, a solid defense, and the mitochondria in the midfield that is Zeiko Lewis.
BU had to learn the hard way, but blink twice against this team and a lead can change in an instant. The only problem? ACC play is just around the corner, and those teams are about alert as they come.
Featured Image by Julia Hopkins / Heights Editor
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