Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Faces Duke Friday On ESPN3
September 25, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Watch On ESPN3
Match Notes
Live Stats
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College men's soccer team travels to Duke for a Friday night ACC matchup that will be televised by ESPN3 at 7 p.m.
BC TRAVELS TO DUKE FRIDAY NIGHT
• Duke won last year's meeting between the teams in Newton, 1-0.
• BC started the season 3-0-1 but has dropped its last three matches to Clemson, Harvard and Louisville. Its last two losses have come in overtime.
• The Blue Devils have lost two of their last three games but defeated No. 1 North Carolina last week, 1-0, in Durham.
SANDGREN EMERGES
• Junior Phil Sandgren is playing his first season with Boston College and he exploded for seven points in two matches last week.
• He played a part in all four goals that the Eagles scored last 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 last Friday.
• Sandgren now ranks second on the team in both goals and points. He ranks fifth in the ACC in goals and sixth in points.
LAST TIME vs. DUKE
• Duke's Nick Palodichuk scored the match's only goal in the 10th minute as the Blue Devils defeated Boston College, 1-0, on October 18, 2013 at the Newton Campus Field.
• The Eagles held a 13-10 advantage in shots, including a 5-3 edge in a second half that they controlled.
• Both sides had chances to score in the early going in an up-and-down affair. Sean Davis set up for a free kick outside the box five minutes into the match, but Alex Kapp made the save. He started a break the other way that led to Diego Medina-Mendez handling the ball on the left side of the box. He made a short pass to Isaac Normesinu who had an open shot, but he missed high.
• Duke scored in the 10th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Brody Huitema started things with a pass to Tyler McDaniel, who then headed a pass to his left. Palodichuk took control and fired a shot past Kapp in what proved to be the game-winner.
• On the ensuing kickoff, nifty passing by the Eagles led to a quick shot by Medina-Mendez, but his attempt was just wide.
• The Eagles controlled most of the second half and had a few chances to equalize. The duo of Normesinu and Zeiko Lewis came close to scoring three minutes into the half when they played a give-and-go. Lewis passed to Normesinu and then made a run down the middle of the pitch. Normesinu found him with a lob pass with a man on him. The Duke keeper came off his line and met Lewis at the ball to thwart the attack.
• Both Kapp and Duke's Alex Long made four saves in goal.
LAST TIME OUT
• Junior Phil Sandgren scored a pair of goals but No. 9 Louisville defeated Boston College in overtime, 3-2, last Friday night at the Newton Campus Field.
• Sandgren scored unassisted on both strikes in the first half. He scored three goals in two matches last week.
• Louisville came out firing and had three good attacks but it was BC which got on the board first. Sandgren controlled the ball down the right side of the field in the sixth minute and took a shot from a tough angle from outside the box. His attempt sailed over the keeper and found the left side netting to put the Eagles on top, 1-0.
• Minutes later, sophomore Isaac Normesinu set up for a free kick outside the box on the left side. He sent a curling shot towards goal and beat the keeper, but the ball hit the crossbar and stayed out.
• The Cardinals had a few more quality chances before it tied the match in the 22nd minute. Shane Campbell took a corner kick from the right side and sent a ball into the box. One Louisville shot was saved by junior Alex Kapp and then another was blocked by a defender. The ball then went to Ricardo Velazco who finally found the back of the net to make it 1-1.
• Sandgren scored again in the 26th minute to give BC a 2-1 lead into the half. A Louisville defender mishandled the ball and Sandgren took it away from him. He dribbled just inside the box and took a blast that beat the keeper and hit the left post. The ball deflected to the other side of the goal and snuck in to give BC the lead back.
• Louisville notched the equalizer in the 54th minute. Will Vitalis handled the ball on the right side and sent a nice through ball into the box to Ben Strong. Strong was left wide open and capitalized on the chance to make it a 2-2 game.
• BC had a couple of nice opportunities to score the game-winner before the end of regulation. Freshman Idrissa Bangura found a streaking Diego Medina-Mendez on the left side but his shot attempt sailed wide. Sandgren had another quality chance with four minutes left but his shot was saved by the keeper.
• The Eagles put together a few solid attacks at the start of overtime but could not find the golden goal. Their best chance came when junior Atobra Ampadu stole the ball in the defensive half. He went the length of the field, beating several defenders along the way. He went into the box and took a low shot, but the Louisville keeper saved it and did not allow a rebound.
• Louisville scored the game-winner in the eighth minute of overtime following a BC foul on the right side. Campbell set up for the free kick and sent a ball to the far post. Nolan Moore got to it and put it in the back of the net to give the Cardinals the win.
• Kapp made four saves for Boston College while Joachim Ball made five for Louisville.
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 three outings, BC has allowed eight goals and lost all three.
• The Eagles outscored opponents, 8-1, in the first four matches. They are being outscored 8-4 in the last three outings.
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 (98-77) and corner kicks (38-24) this year.
• Sophomore Isaac Normesinu is one of four players in the ACC to score four goals this season and ranks second in that category. He is also tied for second in points.
• No player on Boston College scored more than two goals last season.
• Junior Phil Sandgren is second on the team with three goals and seven points. All of his point scoring came in the two matches last week.
• Junior Derrick Boateng is third 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 second in the ACC.
• Normesinu has hit the back of the net in four of the last six matches. He had a goal and an assist against Rhode Island on September 7.
• He is also fourth in the conference with 22 shots.
• Normesinu's four goals rank 34th 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 he played and he contributed to both goals in a 2-0 win at Quinnipiac.
• Boateng ranks ninth in the conference in points and 10th in goals.
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 10th in the conference in goals.
NEWCOMERS MAKING IMPACT
• Five newcomers have seen time on the field in the first seven games.
• Freshmen Henry Balf and Mohammed Moro have started all seven matches. Classmate Len Zeugner has started six 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 seven games. Sandgren has five starts while Bangura has two.
• Sandgren is second on the team with three goals and seven points.
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 13 matches. He has nine 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.
