America East men’s soccer has established a pattern of non-conference success in recent history and that trend continued in the opening weekend of the 2006 campaign. Boston University (1-0-1) and Hartford (1-1-0) each recorded marquee victories over Atlantic Coast Conference foes to kick off the season.
On Friday night, the Terriers used an improbable 40-yard strike off the foot of senior Steven Gahl with seconds ticking down in double overtime to propel Boston University to a thrilling 2-1 triumph over cross-town rival Boston College. Despite trailing for more than 65 minutes of the contest, Boston U. tied the game at 1-1 with just 2:27 remaining to send the game to overtime. Gahl’s game-winner secured the Terriers first win over BC since 1998.
Coming off a season-opening 5-2 loss to No. 14 Duke, Hartford’s tough non-conference schedule continued on Sunday with a trip to another ACC foe, North Carolina State. The Hawks earned a 2-0 victory over the Wolfpack, who finished third in the ACC a season ago and were ranked 13th in final RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) as well.
Boston University remained undefeated as they played to a 1-1 draw with Atlantic-10 foe Massachusetts on Sunday. The Minutemen finished fifth in a highly-competitive A-10 Championship in 2005.
In other notable non-conference action, Vermont (1-0-1) won New Hampshire’s Fall Soccer Classic for the third-consecutive year. The Catamounts earned the title by capturing a 3-1 win over St. Peter’s and playing to a scoreless tie with Cal Poly. The host Wildcats (1-0-1) finished second with a win over Cal Poly and a 1-1 tie with St. Peter’s. The UNH Fall Soccer Class title has been won by an America East member in 10 of the 17 events played, including five straight.
A strong non-conference start to the season could lead to even better things for America East teams as the conference boasts a victory in the past five NCAA tournaments.