Aug. 26, 2008

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BOSTON - Youth and speed are two words that came up often when head coach Neil Roberts discussed the 2008 edition of his men's soccer team over the summer. The roster includes 12 new faces, more than a few of which will bring an explosiveness to Roberts' Terriers that has not been as evident in recent years.

"The freshmen are very talented," noted Roberts. "We are going to be much quicker than in years past with the addition of these players to the speed we already have. The freshmen will need some time to break in, but they will be a boost to our goal of rebuilding to a top 20 team."

BU made some changes in the spring to its lineup and playing style, and the Terriers had come together by the end of the off-season. Roberts believes the coaches and returning players will be able to acclimate the rookies to BU's several playing formations this fall.

The Terriers' goals remain the same in 2008: win the America East regular season, compete for the conference championship and make the NCAA tournament. As always, BU aims to compete with the top teams, and this season the Terriers will get plenty of chances.

Roberts calls this year's schedule, full of great and challenging teams, the most ambitious he has ever had. Ten of the Terriers' opponents have been in the NCAAs in the past two years and five spent part of or finished the 2007 season in the national top 10.

Boston College, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colgate, Harvard and Vermont all made the NCAA tournament, with the Minutemen, the Huskies and the Eagles ending the year ranked fourth, fifth and 12th, respectively. BU will also square off against defending AE champion Vermont and former NCAA champion St. John's. Among the opponents are the Patriot, ACC, Big East, Atlantic-10 and Ivy League champions.

"The teams are well established in soccer tradition," said Roberts. "It is exciting to be challenged early and often throughout the season. It will be a very competitive year."

The competition extends to the Terriers themselves. The influx of rookies will push the 17 returning letter winners for playing time as the team will be looking to build towards a repeat trip to the NCAA tournament after capping off last season's 9-7-4 campaign with an at-large bid to the national tournament.

FORWARDS
Freshman Stephen Knox joins senior Jin Oh, junior Shaun Taylor and sophomore Aaron O'Neal on the attack. These four athletes bring size, strength, depth and speed to the front line. Knox, a current member of the U-20 Trinidad and Tobago National team, was the starting center forward for the U-17 National team during the FIFA U-17 World Cup and scored 21 goals for his nation.

O'Neal was BU's leading scorer as a freshman, notching six goals and four assists for 16 points. He was named the America East Rookie of the Year and third-team All-Freshman by collegesoccernews.com.

First-team all-conference honoree Taylor started all 19 games played and was second on the team with five goals and two assists for 12 points. Oh played in all 20 games and had four assists to tie for second on the team.

Sophomores Daniel Chu and Temi Akinsanya will bolster the attack and freshman Matt Pereira joins the fold up front as well. Chu played in all 20 games and posted two goals. Akinsanya suffered an injury in the preseason and red-shirted for the year. Pereira, from Woburn, Mass., served as team captain at Woburn Memorial High School as as senior and earned Middlesex League MVP, Eastern Mass All-Star team, all-state, and all-New England honors.

MIDFIELD
Youth will play a large part in the midfield this season. Neil Hlavaty left to pursue professional ambitions and leaves a large hole in the midfield. Senior Jon Jonsson and junior Samuel Appiah will bring experience to this spot in the line-up. Jonsson spent 2007 on defense; he was one of five players to start all 20 games, and he tallied one assist from the backfield. Roberts believes Appiah will be a key to the midfield. He started all 20 games, posting three goals and three assists. Two of his goals were game-winners.

Junior Tom Strackhouse and sophomore Ryan Shea provide experienced depth here. Strackhouse had a good spring after scoring a goal and an assist in 10 games in the fall. Senior Andrew Bassi and sophomore Jack Orr also will add depth to the midfield. Freshman Paul King, who has made several appearances with the Northern Ireland U-17 squad, will bolster the defensive midfield.

Freshmen Michael Bustamante, Colin Henry, Terrence Ciavarra, Peter Mehlert and Nicolas Ampuero will comprise the attacking midfield.

Bustamante was a four-year captain at Chelsea High School in Massachusetts. A four-time Commonwealth League champion, the Colombian was a three-time league all-star and MVP and was named a New England All-Scholastic and Boston Globe All-Scholastic as a senior.

Henry, a Norwell, Mass., native, was a four-time league All-Star and a two-time league MVP, Eastern Mass. All-Star and all-state selection.

Ciavarra was named to the 2007 Class A All-New England Prep and NCSCAA adidas All-Region teams as a senior as well as earned all-state honors that season. The Sutton, Mass., native won three state championships with Juventus USA.

Mehlert was a two-time WCAC champion with Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. Mehlert received Washington Post All-Met honorable mention and All-WCAC Second Team honors as a senior. He played club soccer for the Maryland state champion Potomac Cougars.

Ampuero joins the Terriers from Italy, where he was part of a Bassano Virtus 55 team that won the regional championship. The rookie belonged to the U.S. Angarano Azzurra and Bassano Virtus 55 soccer teams and the city All-Star team as a freshman.

DEFENSE
The defense will be a work in progress through the preseason with a lot of talented backs looking for a spot here. Senior Dan Schultz, junior Richy Dorman and sophomore Matt Shea will all look to step into the void left by the graduation of Derek Puerta.

Schultz moved from the midfield to defense in the spring of 2007 and remained there through all 20 games last fall. He scored one goal last year and received second-team All-America East distinction. Dorman moved to defense this past spring after 20 matches in the midfield in 2007 where he recorded one assist. A conference All-Rookie honoree, Matt Shea started 18 of 20 games played as a freshman, notching one assist.

High school All-American Ben Berube will vie for playing time in the Terrier backline. This Somerset, Mass., native led Somerset High School to two state championships and earned all-state honors three times. The three-year Somerset captain won a club national championship with the Boston Bolts U-15s with current BU assistant coach Francis Okaroh.

Freshman Aaron Rosenberg will compete for time on defense. He was a three-year high school team captain and four-year member of the state Olympic Development Program. The West Bloomfield, Mich., native was part of the Regional ODP Pool three times, a five-time club state champion overall and named all-state as a senior.

Junior Andreu Bjegovic and sophomore Matt Bauchle-McFarland will provide added depth on defense. Bjegovic appeared in seven games with one assist last year, while Bauchle-McFarland appeared in two matches.

GOALKEEPERS
Senior Hrafn Davidsson returns to patrol the net for BU this season. He started 15 games last season and allowed 15 goals for a 0.97 goals against average (GAA). Davidsson tallied a save percentage of .805 with 62 saves and had a 6-7-2 overall record, including five shutouts.

Davidsson has a more than capable backup in classmate Joe Cullaro, who played in seven games, starting five last season. He allowed only four goals for a 0.72 GAA and had a save percentage of .750 with 12 saves. Cullaro posted a 3-0-2 mark and shut out Maine in his first career start last year.

Freshmen George Drouillard and Trevor McManamon will back up Davidsson and Cullaro. Drouillard, from Douglas, Mass., co-captained his high school team to the state title as a senior along with making the state semifinals three times with his club team, the SSU Blazers.

California native McManamon led Bellarmine to its third straight West Catholic Athletic League title and second CCS Division I championship as a senior captain. He was named All-CCS Second Team, and his team finished No. 3 in the nation with a record of 26-1-2. He was also the starting goalkeeper for Region IV ODP team.