Boston College Athletics
No. 25 Men's Soccer Opens 2011 Campaign Friday
August 25, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 25, 2011
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The No. 25 Boston College men's soccer team begins its 2011 season Friday afternoon when it hosts George Mason at 4 p.m. at the Newton Campus Field.
The Eagles are also scheduled to host Fairfield Sunday at 1 p.m.
BC returns 13 lettermen to a squad that finished 10-5-5 and went 2-2-4 in ACC play. The Eagles reached the semifinals of the ACC Championship and advanced to their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 11 Brown in the first round in Providence.
The maroon and white returns a bulk of its point scorers from 2010, including All-ACC and all-region performer Charlie Rugg, who led the team with eight goals and 18 points. BC's assist leader, senior Amit Aburmad, also returns after dishing out seven helpers and adding four goals last season.
All told, BC returns 23 of the 33 goals it scored and 24 of its 28 assists.
In addition to an experienced attack, the back line is well-versed in the Eagles' style of play. Returning defenders accounted for 95 starts last season and the unit ranked fifth in the ACC in goals allowed (22) and goals against average (1.04).
Anchoring the defense in goal is junior Justin Luthy who is entering his third season as the starting keeper. After an All-ACC campaign as a freshman, Luthy allowed an average of 1.06 goals per game last season and saved 78 percent of the shots he faced. He ranked second in the ACC in saves (76) and saves per game (3.80).
The Eagles will play nine home games at the Newton Campus Field in 2011. The ACC home opener is slated for September 16 versus Virginia Tech. The Eagles will host three teams ranked in the preseason NSCAA top 25, including No. 8 Connecticut (September 20), No. 23 Duke (October 22) and No. 3 North Carolina (November 2).
