Up by just one goal with a little under five minutes left to play in the season opener against Binghamton, Boston College men’s soccer had no reason to feel comfortable just yet. 

After a BC foul, marking the Eagles’ (1–0) 15th of the night, the Bearcats (0–1) were given a golden opportunity: a free kick attempt that could knot the contest up once and for all. 

All eyes were on Binghamton’s Ryan Conti as he approached the ball, ready to fire toward freshman goalkeeper Andrej Borak in his debut game. 

Fortunately, for BC, that was all too good to be true, as Conti’s kick sailed well too high over the goal—a sigh of relief for Borak and co. as they took their season opener 1–0. 

“I was incredibly proud of the mentality of the group,” BC head coach Bob Thompson said. “I thought the energy of the group was great. I thought the togetherness of the group was great. Everybody was supporting each other and completely bought into what we are trying to do.” 

With 13 additions to the 2025 roster, including seven transfers, five freshmen, and one graduate student, there were many new faces in maroon and gold during the start of this go-around. 

But that didn’t faze Thompson, who emphasized the already strong culture within the team. 

“Bringing in a lot of new guys, it is so important that the character piece is right with them, more than anything else,” Thompson said. “I think we got that right with all of them. All of the guys have entered the culture incredibly well and have bought into the team-first mentality.” 

While the Eagles may have faltered in conference play last season, winning just one ACC game with an upset over No. 8 UNC, the same cannot be said for non-conference play. 

After going 5–0–3 in non-conference play in 2024, BC relit that same torch on Thursday night against the Bearcats. 

Thanks to senior Johannes Hanken Tjostheim, the Eagles pulled ahead in the 29th minute. Not only did it mark the first and only goal from either squad, but it was also his first Division I score. 

Transferring from Mercy University, a Division II school in Dobbs, N.Y., Hanken Tjostheim made a rather smooth transition to Division I soccer. 

After tying the program record with 22 goals and adding four assists in 17 games back in the East Coast Conference, Hanken Tjostheim didn’t waste much time getting his first goal as an Eagle. 

Off an Ask Ekeland assist, Hanken Tjostheim sent the ball over the reach of Connor Cresswell, placing it into the upper right-hand corner of the net as celebrations on the field ensued. 

While the Eagles notched another 10 shots, four of which were on goal, none ended up in the back of Binghamton’s net. 

And the same could be said for the Bearcats, who, despite rattling off four shots, were unable to convert on any scoring opportunities. 

“I thought we created a lot of chances,” Thompson said. “I think the guys, when they look back, they are going to want to finish a little bit better than we did. I think we should have had at least another goal, so that’s something for us to improve on.” 

In a scrappy, punch-for-punch battle, one thing remained constant: fouls. With five yellow cards on the Bearcats and four against the Eagles, the whistle was heard repeatedly in the second frame. 

But BC was able to successfully mitigate any threats that came from foul trouble. And at the helm was Borak in net. 

Despite no collegiate games under his belt, Borak’s inexperience did not show. 

With a diving save in the 84th minute, Borak snatched the ball from a DT Megliola shot before it ended up in the back of the net, shutting down a Binghamton comeback and propelling the Eagles to their first win of the 2025 season. 

“Andrej, for his first game as a freshman, was super composed and really did well and made a huge save at the end,” Thompson said. 

While the Eagles could have crashed and burned after graduating their four-year starting goalkeeper, Brennan Klein, Borak stood tall when it mattered most in his collegiate debut. 

“We knew replacing Brennan was going to be the most challenging thing,” Thompson said. “You can’t quite do it because he was so good. Our keepers that we have here were really excited and stepped up.”