Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts #9 Louisville Friday
September 18, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Match Notes
Gametracker
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College men's soccer team returns home Friday night to host No. 9 Louisville at 7 p.m. at the Newton Campus Field.
BC HOSTS #9 LOUISVILLE IN NEWTON
• Boston College will host No. 9 Louisville on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Newton Campus Field.
• It will be the first meeting between the two schools on the soccer field.
• BC started the season 3-0-1 but has dropped its last two matches to Clemson and Harvard.
• Louisville opened the season with a win over then-No. 2 Maryland and has gone 1-1-1 since. It lost its only road match of the year at Saint Louis, 1-0, on September 9.
ABOUT THE DEFENSE
• Boston College had 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 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 last two outings, BC has allowed five goals in a pair of losses to Clemson and Harvard.
• The Eagles outscored opponents, 8-1, in the first four matches. They are being outscored 5-2 in the last two outings.
LAST TIME OUT
• Harvard's Tim Schmoll scored in the fifth minute of overtime to lead the Crimson past Boston College, 3-2, on Tuesday night at the Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium.
• Junior Phil Sandgren scored his first goal as an Eagle and assisted on sophomore Isaac Normesinu's equalizer late in the match. Junior Derrick Boateng was credited with an assist on Sandgren's goal. Junior Alex Kapp made a career-high nine saves in goal.
• Boston College put the pressure on early and Sandgren opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Boateng fed him the ball then Sandgren took it into the box. He beat the Harvard keeper to his right to put the Eagles on top.
• Harvard went on the attack after allowing the goal and took 11 of the next 13 shots in the half. Kapp made four saves before the Crimson equalized the match in the 22nd minute. Oliver White took a shot on net that Kapp saved, but the rebound fell to Daniel Smith who scored to make it 1-1.
• Harvard took the lead a minute and a half before the end of the first 45. Kapp made consecutive saves on shots by Kyle Henderson and Nate Devine, but Henderson got the ball again and hit the back of the net to give Harvard the lead at the break.
• The defenses held tight for most of the second half - Kapp made two saves compared to Harvard's three - but BC was able to force overtime with Normesinu's 88th minute goal.
• Harvard ended the match in the 95th minute on a corner kick. Christian Sady sent the ball into the box and Schmoll got a head on it for the game-winner.
STRONG OFFENSE
• Boston College controlled the pace of play against its first four opponents and outscored them, 8-1.
• The Eagles have significant advantages in shots (87-57) and corner kicks (37-17) this year.
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu is one of three players in the ACC to score four goals this season. He is also tied for the conference lead in points.
• No player on Boston College scored more than two goals last season.
• Junior Derrick Boateng is second on the team with six points on two goals and two assists. He and senior Diego Medina-Mendez are tied for the team lead with a pair of assists.
• Sophomore Zeiko Lewis also has a pair of goals this year.
NORMESINU'S START
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu has led the Boston College offense so far this season with four goals, an assist and nine points. His goal and point totals are tied for first in the ACC.
• Normesinu has hit the back of the net in four of the last five matches. He had a goal and an assist against Rhode Island on September 7.
• He is also second in the conference with 20 shots.
• Normesinu's four goals rank 16th in the country.
• As a freshman last season, Normesinu had two goals and four assists.
NANA
• Junior Derrick Boateng, better known as Nana, was an ACC All-Freshman Team selection in 2012. Last season, he recorded two goals and two assists.
• He has already matched his offensive output from last year, notching two goals and two assists in six matches this season.
• All six of his points have come in the last four games and he contributed to both goals in a 2-0 win at Quinnipiac.
• Boateng ranks sixth in the conference in goals and eighth in points.
LEWIS' FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN
• Sophomore Zeiko Lewis led Boston College with 11 assists and 17 points last season.
• He earned numerous accolades including: NSCAA All-South Atlantic Second Team, ACC Freshman of the Year, All-ACC Second Team, All-ACC Freshman Team and Soccer America All-Freshman First Team.
• Lewis led the ACC in assists (11) and assists per game (0.61) and ranked 10th in the conference in points (17).
• He ranked third in the country in assists per game and fourth in assists.
• Lewis was the only freshman in the top 15 in the country in total assists and in the top 20 in assists per game.
• The only other Eagle to reach 10 or more assists in less than 20 matches was Jorge Montoya in 1983.
• This season, Lewis has two goals and an assist. He ranks sixth in the conference in goals.
NEWCOMERS MAKING IMPACT
• Five newcomers have seen time on the field in the first six games.
• Freshmen Henry Balf and Mohammed Moro have started all six matches. Classmate Len Zeugner has started five contests. Zeugner, a defender, scored a goal in the 2-0 win against Fordham.
• Junior Phil Sandgren and freshman Idrissa Bangura have also played in all six games. Sandgren has five starts while Bangura has two.
• Sandgren recorded a goal and an assist at Harvard on Tuesday night.
TOUGH AT HOME
• BC has been hard to beat at the Newton Campus Field over the last few seasons.
• Boston College is 26-11-7 in its last 44 regular season home games dating back to 2009 and is 27-12-8 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 19-9-7 since 2006.
THREE CAPTAINS NAMED
• Junior Atobra Ampadu, senior Giuliano Frano and sophomore Zeiko Lewis have been named captains for the 2014 season.
• This is Ampadu's second season serving as a captain. Last year, he scored a pair of goals while adding two assists for six points.
• Frano led the team last year with four goals and was second with 10 points. He also recorded two assists.
• Lewis led the team with 11 assists and 17 points while adding three goals in 2013. His assist total ranked fourth in the nation and he earned numerous accolades including ACC Freshman of the Year.
REVS JOIN SOCCER STAFF
• Former Boston College soccer standout Charlie Davies and Lee Nguyen were named assistant coaches for the Eagles.
• Davies and Nguyen currently play for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. Davies starred for the Eagles from 2004-06 while Nguyen played one year at Indiana before turning professional.
• Davies played three seasons for the Eagles and earned numerous accolades. As a junior, he was an NSCAA first team All-American and the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy, given to the nation's top collegiate soccer player. As a freshman, Davies was the Big East Rookie of the Year. The Manchester, N.H., product played with Hammarby (Sweden), Sochaux (France), D.C. United and Randers FC (Denmark) before joining the Revs.
• Davies has recorded three goals and three assists in 12 matches. He has eight starts.
• Nguyen played one year for the Hoosiers and was named the National Freshman of the Year by Soccer America. He was also a first team freshman All-American, a third team All-America selection and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Nguyen started his professional career with PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) and also played for Randers FC, Hoang Anh Gia (Vietnam) and Becamex Binh Duong FC (Vietnam) before coming to New England.
• Nguyen leads the Revs with 13 goals while adding four assists. He ranks sixth in MLS in goals scored.
BEDOYA IN THE WORLD CUP
• Former Boston College men's soccer standout Alejandro Bedoya and the United States Men's National Team advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup before falling in extra time to Belgium, 2-1.
• The United States finished second in Group G with four points and advanced over Portugal on goal differential.
• Bedoya played in all four matches in the midfield and started three of them, including the contest against Belgium.
• The US and Belgium were scoreless in the first 90 minutes which forced 30 more minutes of extra time. Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne broke the tie in the 93rd minute and then the Red Devils added to the lead 12 minutes later with a Romelu Lukaku goal. The United States responded in the 107th minute when young Julian Green scored on his first touch of the game. A flurry of late equalizing chances for the stars and stripes fell short, and Belgium advanced to the quarterfinals.
• Bedoya's star continued to shine when he scored the only goal of the match to lead the United States Men's National Team to a 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic on September 3 at Generali Arena.
• Bedoya scored unassisted in the 39th minute which proved to be the game-winner. Mix Diskerud picked up a loose ball in the midfield to start the U.S. attack. He shot from 17 yards out and the Czech keeper made the initial save. The rebound fell to Bedoya, who slipped the shot past a defender and into the open net.
• Bedoya emerged for the USMNT during the CONCACAF Gold Cup as the U.S. won its fifth title on July 28, 2013 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 has 33 career caps and currently plays for FC Nantes in France's Ligue 1.
