Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts #9 UNC Friday Night
October 23, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Match Notes
Gametracker
BC HOSTS #9 NORTH CAROLINA ON SENIOR NIGHT
• Boston College will host #9 North Carolina on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Newton Campus Field.
• Prior to the match, the Eagles will recognize seven seniors playing their final season at The Heights.
• BC knocked off #20 Boston University on Tuesday night, 3-1, as sophomore Zeiko Lewis had a goal and two assists. The Eagles are 1-1-2 in their last four matches.
• North Carolina has won each of its last five outings and the last four have all been shutouts.
BC KNOCKS OFF #20 BU, 3-1
• Sophomore Zeiko Lewis had a goal and two assists to lead Boston College to a 3-1 win against No. 20 Boston University on Tuesday night at the Newton Campus Field.v
• Lewis' four points were a career high. He was credited with the game-winning goal in the second half and helped on the other two. Seniors Cole DeNormandie and Nick Butler scored the other two goals. Senior Matt Wendelken also earned an assist on the Butler strike. DeNormandie has scored in each of the last three matches.
• It was the first loss for BU in its last 10 outings.
• The Terriers were the ones to score first in the 25th minute after Jordan Barker was taken down in the box on the attack. Dominique Badji stepped up for the penalty kick and connected to give BU the 1-0 lead.
• Boston College equalized the match in the 43rd minute when Lewis handled the ball in the right side of the box near the end line. He turned to find an open DeNormandie who fired. The ball hit a BU defender but continued to the back of the net to even the score.
• Lewis was spectacular in the second half and notched the game-winner in the 52nd minute. He stole the ball in the offensive half of the field and got free from a defender. He was left one-on-one with the keeper and got by him to easily finish the goal.
• Lewis nearly caused more damage when he reached out and stole a pass from BU at midfield. He was making a run with Butler and senior Diego Medina-Mendez on either side of him. He passed off to Medina-Mendez to his right but the keeper came off his line to make a nice save.
• The final Boston College goal came in the 78th minute. Wendelken controlled the ball near midfield on the right side and made a long pass to Lewis who was unmarked just outside the box on the other side. Butler made a run into the box and Lewis found him for the goal.
• Junior Alex Kapp made two saves in the win while Nick Thomson made three for BU.
LAST TIME vs. NORTH CAROLINA
• Isaac Normesinu scored in the 83rd minute to try and mount a comeback, but #12 North Carolina hung on for a 2-1 win over Boston College on October 12, 2013 at Newton Campus Field.
• Boston College had its chances to score and hit a couple of crossbars in the match. North Carolina also missed out on opportunities including a missed penalty kick.
• The Tar Heels began the scoring in the 12th minute when Alex Olofson got control of the ball in the BC defensive end. He found some space and dished to Tyler Engel, who slipped a shot past the keeper to put North Carolina ahead.
• The Eagles nearly equalized the match with 28:39 on the clock when Giuliano Frano threw a ball into the box. The ball got to Amit Shumowitz who put a head on it, but the UNC keeper made the save.
• North Carolina added to the lead in the 25th minute after it was rewarded a free kick just outside the box. Raby George fired a shot after a quick tap into play, and Alex Kapp got his fingertips on it. The ball then hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced to Josh Rice who finished the job to give the Tar Heels a 2-0 lead.
• The Eagles controlled most of the second half and had three high quality chances to score, but only cashed in on one. Ten minutes after the second 45 began, Lewis created some space for himself by moving from right to left. He fired a shot from 25 yards out but his attempt nailed the crossbar.
• With 14:31 left in the match, Lewis and Normesinu used nifty passing to get the ball to Diego Medina-Mendez on the left side of the box. He took a shot from short range that was also denied by the crossbar.
• In between those two attempts, UNC had a chance to make it a three-goal game, but George blasted a penalty kick high of the mark.
• Lewis and Normesinu seemed to pose a threat the entire match and it finally paid off in the 83rd minute. Lewis had a great individual effort on the right side of the pitch and sent a cross into the box. Normesinu was waiting near the goal line for the easy tap in.
• Brendan Moore made three saves in goal for North Carolina while Kapp made two.
TWO MORE THREATS
• Senior Cole DeNormandie and sophomore Zeiko Lewis have had strong games as of late.
• DeNormandie has scored a goal in each of the last three matches. He had three goals all of last season.
• His only other point this season was on an assist back on August 31.
• Lewis was held scoreless for eight matches before erupting for a goal and two assists on Tuesday night against Boston University.
• Lewis was credited with the game-winner in the 52nd minute.
• The pair has accounted for 10 of the 15 points BC has recorded in the last three outings.
SANDGREN EMERGES
• Junior Phil Sandgren is playing his first season with Boston College and he exploded for seven points in two matches on October 16 and 19.
• He played a part in all four goals that the Eagles scored that week.
• The Kristinstad, Sweden product recorded a goal and an assist in a 3-2 overtime loss at Harvard.
• Sandgren then scored both goals in a 3-2 overtime loss to No. 9 Louisville.
• Sandgren ranks second on the team in goals (3) and assists (2), and third in points (8).
ABOUT THE DEFENSE
• Boston College allowed just one goal in the first four matches this season - an own goal in the season opener against Iona.
• Junior Alex Kapp recorded three shutout victories in that span and had a shutout streak of 337:19 end at the Clemson game.
• Boston College had just one shutout last season. It has five in 2014.
• It was the first time BC recorded three consecutive shutouts since the 2012 season. It was also the first time since 2007 that the Eagles notched three clean sheets in the first four games.
• In the four-game losing streak, BC allowed nine goals.
• BC ranks sixth in the ACC in goals allowed (16) and shutouts (5), and seventh in goals against average (1.15).
STRONG OFFENSE
• Boston College controlled the pace of play against its first four opponents and outscored them, 8-1.
• The Eagles have advantages in shots (158-147) and corner kicks (75-54) this year.
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu ranks sixth in the ACC in goals (5) and shots (33), and third in game-winning goals (3).
• No player on Boston College scored more than two goals last season.
• Sophomore Zeiko Lewis exploded for four points in the 3-1 win against No. 20 Boston University. He had a goal and two assists. He leads the team with three assists and is second in goals (3) and points (9).
• Junior Phil Sandgren is second on the team with three goals and two assists. Seven of his points came in two matches.
• Senior Cole DeNormandie has emerged as of late, scoring a goal in each of the last three matches.
NORMESINU NAMED ACC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week after helping Boston College to a 1-0 win at No. 1 Notre Dame on October 3.
• Normesinu shared the award with NC State's Alex McCauley, who made 12 saves in goal to lead the Wolfpack to a 2-1 win over No. 6 Louisville.
• Normesinu scored the lone goal in the 15th minute to knock off the defending national champions. A Notre Dame defender misplayed a long pass from BC's backline and Normesinu one-timed a shot to the back of the net which held up as the game-winner.
• Normesinu ranks sixth in the ACC in goals (5) and shots (33), and third in game-winning goals (3).
NEWCOMERS MAKING IMPACT
• Five newcomers have seen time on the field this season.
• Freshmen Henry Balf and Mohammed Moro have started all 13 matches. Classmate Len Zeugner has started 11 contests. Zeugner, a defender, scored a goal in the 2-0 win against Fordham.
• Junior Phil Sandgren has played in 12 matches with eight starts and freshman Idrissa Bangura has played in 12 games with two starts.
• Sandgren is third on the team with eight points.
