Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Travels To #15 UVa Friday Night
November 07, 2013 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2013
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College men's soccer team will travel to Charlottesville on Friday night to take on No. 15 Virginia in the final regular season match of the year.
BC-VIRGINIA CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON
• The Eagles are coming off of a 3-1 comeback win against Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon.
• Virginia had an undefeated streak of 11 matches before North Carolina beat the Cavaliers in Charlottesville last Friday night, 1-0.
LEWIS CHASING RECORDS
• Freshman Zeiko Lewis leads Boston College with 11 assists and 17 points.
• His assist number leads the ACC by three and ranks third in the nation.
• It is also the second most ever in a single season at BC.
• With his 11th assist at Brown, Lewis jumped to second behind Louis Papadellis who holds the record with 14 assists in 21 matches in 1980.
• He was previously in a five-way tie with Alejandro Bedoya and others.
• Lewis' 0.69 assist per game number is the best ever at Boston College.
• The only other Eagle to reach 10 or more assists in less than 20 matches was Jorge Montoya in 1983.
LAST TIME OUT
• Sophomore Derrick Boateng scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute to lead Boston College to a 3-1 win against Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon at the Newton Campus Field.
• Freshman Zeiko Lewis scored the equalizer while junior Matt Wendelken and sophomore Atobra Ampadu were credited with assists in the match.
• The Hokies controlled the first half of play and owned a 5-1 advantage in shots. They had two quality chances in the early going with the first coming 10 minutes after kickoff. Kai Marshall started a run when he found Daniel Lauretano in the midfield. He dished to his right and found Drew Ranahan who put a shot on target. Sophomore Alex Kapp made a diving stop to his right and did not allow a rebound.
• Five minutes later, a Boston College foul gave Virginia Tech a great chance right outside the box. David Clemens took the free kick, but it sailed wide of the top right corner he was aiming for. The BC defense held on during a couple of dangerous corners later in the half to keep the Hokies off the board in the first 45.
• Virginia Tech finally broke through in the 55th minute. Clemens made a nice run down the left side of the pitch and then passed into the box to Ranahan. Kapp came off his line and collided with Ranahan, and the official rewarded Virginia Tech with a penalty kick. Clemens connected on that to give the Hokies the lead.
• Boston College took over from there. Boateng created a chance with a nice run up the middle. He fired a shot that was blocked by a defender and had to be saved by the Hokie keeper. Ampadu quickly took the ensuing corner and passed to Lewis in front of him. Lewis found a lane to shoot and notched the equalizer in the 69th minute.
• Boateng scored the game-winner seven minutes later when he received a pass from Wendelken on the left side. Boateng shot from an awkward angle and blasted the ball above the keeper's head for his first goal.
• An own goal in the 82nd minute was BC's third goal.
• Renfro made seven saves for the Hokies while Kapp was credited with five.
LAST YEAR vs. VIRGINIA
• The Eagles and Virginia played to a scoreless draw on October 26, 2012 in front of 1,247 fans at the Newton Campus Field.
• Senior Kyle Bekker led the Eagles with four of their nine shots. Virginia outshot BC, 12-9, in the match and had six corner kicks compared to the Eagles' two. Senior Justin Luthy made two saves in goal for his sixth shutout of the season. His counterpart, Spencer LaCivita, also made two stops.
• Virginia held a 7-5 advantage in shots in the first 45 minutes with a 2-1 edge in shots on goal. The Cavaliers controlled the pace in the early going, getting the match's first three shots. It was the Eagles who had the first true chance of the night 18 minutes after the opening whistle.
• Diego Medina-Mendez fed a streaking Dylan Pritchard in the middle of the box. The freshman fired on goal but LaCivita made the stop. The ball bounced right back to Pritchard and he took another shot on goal, but a Cavalier defender was there to stop it before it crossed the goal line.
• Virginia's best opportunity came with 12:35 left in the half. Following a Boston College foul, Scott Thomsen took a free kick from 25 yards out. He sent a cross into the box and Zach Carroll leaped to get a head on the ball. His redirection sailed high and the teams went into the half scoreless.
• The offensive chances were limited in the second half as the teams combined for seven shots and just two on goal. The best opportunity came for the Eagles with 28 minutes left in regulation. A Virginia foul gave BC a free kick from 28 yards out on the left side of the box. Bekker lined up a shot and bent it around the wall, but the shot narrowly missed the left post.
• Neither side was able to record a shot on goal in the two overtime periods.
GOOD BALANCE
• Boston College has 11 players that have scored at least two goals this year.
• There is no other team in the league that can claim that feat.
• Eleven different Eagles have scored a goal this year which is tied for the second most in the conference with Maryland and Wake Forest. Virginia has scored with 12 different players.
NEWCOMERS SPARKING OFFENSE
• Junior Giuliano Frano, freshman Zeiko Lewis and freshman Isaac Normesinu have combined to score 35 points and are three of the top four point scorers for BC.
• Frano leads the Eagles with four goals while Lewis is second with three. Normesinu is one of eight players with two goals.
• Lewis leads the ACC and is third in the nation with 11 assists. Normesinu has four assists.
• Frano played a role in both goals in BC's 2-1 comeback win at Pittsburgh. He assisted on sophomore Atobra Ampadu's goal in the 81st minute and then scored the game-winner with 1:05 left in regulation.
• Frano scored all six of his points in a four-match span from September 14-27. BC went 3-1-0 in that time.
• Lewis assisted on Frano's game-winner at Pitt. He was also credited with the game-winning goal at Rhode Island and scored his other at Maryland.
SECOND HALF DIFFERENCE
• The Eagles have had to play from behind in 11 of its 16 matches this year and are 4-6-1 in those contests.
• Twenty-one of BC's 28 goals have come in the second half or overtime - 75 percent.
• Defensively, the Eagles have allowed seven goals after halftime and two of them came in a 3-2 double overtime loss at Dartmouth. Three of the goals have been scored while BC was playing with 10 men.
• BC has allowed 19 goals in the first half.
COMEBACK KIDS
• Boston College has trailed in 11 of its 16 matches this season and has come back five times.
• Boston University struck first in the 16th minute in the season opener on August 30, but senior Chris Ager scored two goals after halftime to give BC the win.
• His equalizer came in the 48th minute and then the game-winner was scored with 34 seconds left in the first overtime.
• Quinnipiac jumped out of the gate on September 2 and scored twice in the first 19 minutes.
• The Eagles controlled the match from there and junior Cole DeNormandie scored twice in the 59th and 62nd minutes to secure the tie.
• Freshman Isaac Normesinu was credited with assists on both goals.
• BC scored twice in the final 10 minutes at Pitt to take a 2-1 win. Sophomore Atobra Ampadu scored in the 81st minute to tie the match and then junior Giuliano Frano secured the win with 1:05 left.
• Harvard held a 2-0 halftime lead before BC scored three times in the second half to take a 3-2 win on October 22. Junior Brendan Hayes scored his first two collegiate goals and then a Harvard own goal in the 74th minute gave the Eagles the win.
• Virginia Tech scored the match's first goal in the 55th minute before BC responded with three unanswered goals beginning in the 69th minute.
• It also worked the other way at Dartmouth as BC held a 2-0 lead in the first half. The Big Green scored one before halftime and notched the equalizer in the 86th minute. The game-winner came in the second overtime.
MEDINA-MENDEZ'S PRODUCTION
• Junior Diego Medina-Mendez has already bettered his production from a season ago with two goals and five assists.
• He recorded two assists last year in 19 matches after tallying eight goals and two assists as a freshman in 2011.
• Medina-Mendez was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team that season.
• This year, he is second on the team in assists (5) and third in points (9) and goals (2).
• He had an assist at Boston University and then recorded a goal and a helper in a 3-2 overtime loss at Dartmouth. He recorded two assists at Rhode Island on September 24.
• The Lindsay, Calif., product had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over Syracuse.
• Medina-Mendez is tied for eighth in the ACC in assists.
NANA
• Sophomore Derrick Boateng, better known as Nana, was an ACC All-Freshman Team selection last season. He was second on the team in goals (3) and points (9), and third in assists (3).
• Boateng had three goals and two assists in a four-match span from September 14-25.
• Nana's first collegiate goal came in dramatic fashion against San Francisco on September 22. A Dons turnover gave Boston College a 4-on-3 advantage on the attack with under 30 seconds to go in the match. Charlie Rugg dished to Boateng to his left who dribbled into the box. As the USF keeper came off his line, Boateng lofted a shot over his head and into the far side netting - just inside the post - to give the Eagles the thrilling 2-1 victory.
• This year, he has two goals and two assists. He scored a goal at Rhode Island and the game-winner against Virginia Tech.
COLE'S CAREER
• Junior Cole DeNormandie is new to Chestnut Hill, but he is certainly not new to college soccer.
• The Lincoln, Mass., product spent two years as a starting forward at Cincinnati where he scored 10 goals and added five assists.
• He earned Big East All-Freshman Team honors in 2011 after leading the Bearcats with seven goals and 15 points.
• DeNormandie led Cincinnati last year with three goals, four assists and 10 points.
• He scored both of BC's goals in a 2-2 draw against Quinnipiac and added another one at Clemson.
EXTRA TIME
• Boston College has played its share of overtime games the last two seasons.
• Last year, the Eagles were 2-0-5 in overtime. They are 1-1-2 to start this year.
• The Eagles had not lost in overtime since the 2009 season until September 9 when
Dartmouth won in double overtime. The Big Green scored the equalizer in the 86th minute while BC was playing with 10 men, and then it clinched the win with a goal in the fifth minute of overtime.
• BC is 6-1-12 in 19 overtime matches dating back to November 11, 2009.
AGER NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Senior Chris Ager was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week on September 3.
• Ager scored both BC goals in a 2-1 overtime victory against Boston University on August 30 in the season opener. The captain scored the equalizer in the 48th minute on a header off a corner kick and then tallied the game-winner with 34 seconds left in the first overtime.
• The Gjettum, Norway product entered the season with one career goal that came in 2011.
• Ager was also named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his two-goal performance.
NEWCOMERS MAKING IMPACT
• There are a lot of new faces on the Boston College sideline this year.
• BC lost nine players from last year's squad, but brought in 11 new players to fill the void.
• Head Coach Ed Kelly brought on five freshmen, four transfers and two walk-ons.
• Newcomers have accounted for 16 of the 28 goals this year and 19 of the 28 assists.
• Junior Cole DeNormandie scored two goals against Quinnipiac while freshman Isaac Normesinu assisted both times. Freshman Zeiko Lewis is third in the country with 11 assists and has three goals.
• Junior Giuliano Frano played a crucial role at Pitt, assisting on the equalizer in the 81st minute and then scoring the game-winner in the 89th. He leads the team with four goals and has two assists.
• Sophomore Atobra Ampadu has scored two goals, including the game-winner at NC State, and junior Nick Butler has also scored two.
• In the first two matches this season, seven different Eagles made their first career starts in an Eagles uniform.
WHAT WAS LOST
• Boston College lost a lot of talent and experience from last season, including a combined 90 starts from just last year.
• Three of the players lost are some of the all-time best at BC. Kyle Bekker ranks second all-time in assists (22) and eighth in points (56). Justin Luthy is the all-time leader in goalkeeper wins (43) and minutes played (7401). He is also second in shutouts (25) and fourth in saves (301). Charlie Rugg ranks fifth at BC in goals (28) and points (74).
• From last season, the Eagles lost 12 of its 16 goals (75 percent), 11 of its 20 assists (55 percent) and 35 of its 52 points (67 percent). Luthy played all but 154 minutes in goal and made 59 of the 65 saves (91 percent).
• Bekker and Rugg were both named to the All-ACC First Team last year. Rugg was the first team three-time All-ACC First Team member in BC history and Bekker was named twice.
TOUGH AT HOME
• BC has been hard to beat at the Newton Campus Field over the last few seasons.
• The Eagles went 6-0-3 at home in 2010 and were 7-2-1 in 2011.
• Boston College is 26-10-7 in its last 43 regular season home games dating back to 2009 and is 27-11-8 overall in Newton since 2009.
• BC has dominated at home during Atlantic Coast Conference contests since joining the league in 2005.
• After a disappointing start in 2005 when BC went 0-3-1 at home in conference matches, the Eagles are 19-8-7 since 2006.
• Boston College's last loss came at the hands of Duke on October 18.
BC BEATS SYRACUSE
• Junior Matt Wendelken and sophomore Diego Medina-Mendez both recorded a goal and an assist to lead BC past Syracuse, 3-2, on October 8 at the Newton Campus Field.
• Junior Nick Butler scored the game-winning goal in the 58th minute. Freshman Zeiko Lewis tallied a pair of assists and classmate Isaac Normesinu also had one. Sophomore Alex Kapp made three saves in goal for his first win of the season.
• Boston College took an early 2-0 lead with goals in the sixth and eighth minutes. Medina-Mendez handled the ball outside the box on the left hand side and sent a short cross towards the middle. Wendelken bounced a header past the SU keeper to give the Eagles a 1-0 edge.
• Less than two minutes later, Medina-Mendez tallied a goal of his own from the top of the box off of passes from Lewis and Normesinu.
• The Orange got one of the goals back in the 15th minute. Oyvind Alseth started the attack when he found Chris Nanco on the left side of the box near the end line. He sent a pass towards the middle and Emil Ekblom got a foot on it to find the back of the net.
• Syracuse scored the equalizer in the second half in the 53rd minute. Jordan Murrell launched a long pass from his position at left back to a streaking Ekblom down the left side of the pitch. A nice first touch gave him some space to shoot and he found the far side of the net to make it a 2-2 game.
• A little over five minutes later, BC struck again in what proved to be the game-winner. The Eagles earned a corner kick on the right side that Lewis took. His cross went to the far side of the box where Wendelken got a head on it to redirect towards the middle. The 6-4 Butler took another head to the ball and beat the keeper to give the lead back to the home side.
• There was no shortage of drama the rest of the way as both sides had chances to do more damage. Kapp made a couple of big saves down the stretch, including one at the 27:57 mark when Juuso Pasanen hit a blast that deflected off of someone.
• Junior Giuliano Frano nearly added an insurance goal with 21 minutes left when his blast from 28 yards out deflected off the left post.
• Kapp made another huge save with 15 minutes to go when Grant Chong sent a low shot at him. Kapp dove to his right and got his fingers on it, and the ball grazed off the post and went out of bounds.
• A red card was issued to Syracuse in the 79th minute but it managed to keep the pressure on BC. The Orange spent a good amount of time on attack in the last 10 minutes, but only came away with one shot that was blocked by a BC defender.
EAGLES GET ROAD WIN AT NC STATE
• Boston College scored two second half goals in a 2-1 victory over NC State on September 27 at Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh.
• Junior Matt Wendelken scored his first career goal at BC in the 47th minute to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Wendelken scored on a header off a free kick from freshman Zeiko Lewis. He directed the ball into the right far post. It was the fourth assist of the season for Lewis.
• BC's lead lasted until the 64th minute of play when Clement Simonin scored off a corner kick. It was his third goal of the season.
• The Eagles took the lead for good with 10 minutes left in the match when sophomore Atobra Ampadu sent a low shot to the left of goal from the top of the box. It was the BC midfielder's second goal of the season. Junior Giuliano Frano registered the assist on the go-ahead goal.
• Junior Keady Segel made eight saves to pick up his fourth win of the season. NC State's Nazmi Albadawi had two chances - one in the 82nd minute and a dangerous attempt in the 89th minute - which Segel turned away for the win. NC State's goalkeeper Fabian Otte had one save.
• Boston College had three shots on goal, while NC State had nine. Both teams had six corner kicks in the match.
BC HOLDS ON FOR BIG POINT vs. IRISH
• Freshman Isaac Normesinu scored for BC as it played No. 2 Notre Dame to a 1-1 draw on September 21 in front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 at Newton Campus Field.
• Normesinu notched his first collegiate goal in the 17th minute to put the Eagles on top, 1-0. Notre Dame scored 12 seconds later to tie the match. Boston College played the last 50 minutes with 10 men after a red card was issued.
• The first 45 was played at a frantic pace with Notre Dame having a 6-1 edge in shots. BC only needed one shot to score first in the 17th minute. Normesinu used unbelievable footwork on the right side of the pitch to beat the man on him and get open. When he was at the top of the box, he ripped a low shot past the keeper to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
• Notre Dame responded 12 seconds later as the BC goal announcement was still being read. The Irish took the kickoff down the field where Vince Cicciarelli handled the ball on the right side. He sent a low cross into the box to Harrison Shipp who finished it off for the equalizer.
• Disaster struck in the 61st minute for the Eagles when a red card forced them to play with 10 men. BC had to play defensively for the last 50 minutes and allowed seven Notre Dame shots.
• Junior Keady Segel made his two saves of the match in the last half hour of regulation. Max Lachowecki dribbled through two BC defenders on the left side to create a chance with 16:31 left. He sent a cross inside to Shipp, but his shot was not on target.
• Five minutes later, he sent in another cross that found the foot of Patrick Hodan. He blasted a shot toward goal from 12 yards out, but it was right at Segel who did not allow a rebound.
• Notre Dame took all of its shots in overtime in the first extra session. The Irish nearly put in the golden goal with three minutes left when Hodan sent a cross into the box. An Irish member missed the ball but it bounced right to Nick Besler who had an open net. His low shot missed the far post by inches.
• Neither side attempted a shot in the second overtime.
BC GETS COMEBACK WIN AT PITT
• The Eagles scored twice in the last 10 minutes to earn a 2-1 comeback win at Pittsburgh on September 14 at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
• Sophomore Atobra Ampadu scored his first career BC goal in the 80th minute to tie the match at 1-1. Junior Giuliano Frano secured the game-winner with 1:05 left in the match to propel the Eagles to the victory. It was also his first goal as a member of the maroon and gold.
• Frano assisted on Ampadu's goal and freshman Zeiko Lewis helped on the game-winner.
• The first half was played evenly as BC held a slight advantage in shots, 6-5. Pitt converted on its only shot on goal in the half in the 13th minute. Ryan Myers sent a free kick into the box where it found Zane Meehan at the far post. He put it in to give the Panthers the early lead.
• Pitt goalkeeper Dan Lynd made three saves in the first 45 to retain the Panther lead.
• Boston College added more pressure in the second half and fired off 12 shots. Ampadu nearly scored the equalizer in the 77th minute but the post kept the ball out of the net, and then a save by Lynd on another Ampadu attempt kept BC scoreless.
• He did connect three minutes later though off a pass from Frano. Following the equalizing strike, Lewis fed Frano for the game-winning goal in the 89th minute.
BC PICKED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON ACC VOTING
• Boston College was selected to finish eighth in the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll, according to a vote of the league's 12 head coaches.
• No. 2 Maryland, the reigning ACC champion, earned 10 first-place votes for a total of 142 points to get the top spot in the poll. No. 4 North Carolina followed with 122 points while No. 17 Wake Forest (114 points) and No. 7 Notre Dame (110) came in at third and fourth, respectively. Both the Demon Deacons and Fighting Irish earned a first place vote.
• Virginia (106), Clemson (69) and Duke (67) filled out spots five through seven. Boston College received 63 points as it was picked eighth.
• The rest of the preseason poll in order was: No. 20 Syracuse (54), NC State (44), Virginia Tech (27) and Pittsburgh (18).
BEKKER, RUGG MAKE HISTORY
• Boston College had two players drafted in the first round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft - the first time that has happened in program history.
• Kyle Bekker became the Eagles' highest draft pick ever when he was picked up by Toronto FC with the third overall selection.
• Charlie Rugg later joined him in the first round when the Los Angeles Galaxy drafted him 19th overall.
• Bekker appeared in nine matches this year and made three starts. He recorded 11 shots.
• Rugg has played in four games and made two starts. He scored his first profesisonal goal on April 27 against Real Salt Lake.
BEDOYA BIG FOR USA IN GOLD CUP
• Former men's soccer star Alejandro Bedoya earned four caps for the United States Men's National Team during the CONCACAF Gold Cup as the U.S. won its fifth title on July 28 at Chicago's Soldier Field.
• Bedoya was instrumental in the semifinal and final matches, recording three assists on four American goals. He assisted on both of Landon Donovan's goals - including the game-winner - in the semifinal against Honduras, a 3-1 victory on July 24 in Dallas. Watch the two goals by clicking here and here.
• He also sparked the only goal in a 1-0 triumph over Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on July 28.
• The two assists against Honduras were the first two of his international career.
• Bedoya also earned a start against Costa Rica in pool play and made an appearance in the opener versus Belize. The United States won all six of its matches in the tournament by a combined score of 20-4.
• Bedoya has 23 career caps and currently plays for FC Nantes in France's Ligue 1.
