BOSTON – Highlighted by junior Andrea Di Blasio’s second career brace, the Boston University men’s soccer team opened the three-game homestand with a 4-1 victory over Loyola Maryland Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field.
Thanks to scoring at least three goals in three consecutive games for the first time since 2003, the Terriers (7-3-0, 3-1-0 PL) are now on a season-high three-game win streak, as the Greyhounds dropped to 2-7-1 and 1-3-0 in Patriot League play. In total, BU had three different goal scorers reach three goals on the season with four different men earning at least one assist.
Di Blasio delivered the game’s first goal in the sixth minute and added the decisive blow at 54:30 after both freshman Sebastian Otero (’31) and sophomore Pharis Petrica (’36) found the back of the net. Tyler Tucker helped the Greyhounds avoid the shutout with an 19th-minute equalizer.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Senior Ethan Gill quickly put Loyola on noticed by forcing a save from Dylan Van der Walt just 54 seconds into the contest.
- In the sixth minute, senior Quin DeLaMater sent a long pass up the field from behind the midfield line to a charging Gill, who made a quick centering touch for an unguarded Di Blasio to put away the ball for 1-0 lead.
- The Greyhounds though tied the game at 18:36 when Tucker headed in a point-blank shot past Saadat.
- Otero retook the lead 12 minutes later by collecting a pass from DeLaMater and blasting a shot from around 30 yards out that went off the hands of Van der Walt into the back of the net.
- With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Petrica took senior Giuseppe Bagnato’s throw-in and cannoned a shot from just outside the box that Van der Walt had no chance at stopping.
- In the second half, after the Greyhounds earned their first corner at 50:30, senior Sheraz Saadat made a diving save on Richie Nichols’ shot attempt.
- Tucker was off the mark following Loyola’s second corner, and BU quickly went on the counter with Petrica intercepting a pass near midfield and feeding a through ball past a couple of defners to set up Di Blasio’s second goal of the game at 54:30.
- Both teams continued to apply pressure but the two keepers came up with diving saves to keep BU’s lead at 4-1 the rest of the way.
GAME NOTES
- Di Blasio, Otero and Petrica all joined Gill at a team-high three goals in the first half before Di Blasio added his team-leading fourth goal in the second half.
- Petrica recorded his third three-point performance of the season after earning a goal and assist in both wins at Charleston and Bucknell to become the first Terrier this season to reach double digits in points at 11 total (3g,5a).
- DeLaMater tallied a career-high two assists to became the first Terrier to earn two helpers in a game this season.
- All three of Otero’s goals this season have ended up as game winners.
- With his second career assist and first since 2023, Bagnato became the 13th Terrier to earn at least one point this season and ninth to help on a BU goal.
- BU finished with a 13-7 advantage in shots and 5-3 lead in corner kicks.
- Saadat had three saves, while Van der Walt totaled four.
- Now ahead, 6-5-4, with an active four-game unbeaten streak at 3-0-1, BU broke the series deadlock against the Greyhounds with the most goals scored ever in a matchup between the two programs.
UP NEXT
- BU will remain home and next host Colgate on Friday (Oct. 10) with a 6 p.m. start.
- The Terriers lead the all-time series, 11-5-3, with a 6-3-2 home mark.
- The teams have faced off in each of the last two PL semifinals with the Raiders eliminating BU in 2024 (1-0) and the Terriers posting a 2-0 victory in 2023. Both games were held at Nickerson Field.
