BU Downs UVM in Semis

Richy Dorman's Late Goal Sends Terriers to Saturday's America East Final

November 13, 2008

BOSTON, Mass. -- With a berth to the America East championship game at stake, both the Vermont and Boston University men’s soccer teams battled hard until the last second, but the Terriers came out the victor with a game-winning score in the 82nd minute to defeat the Catamounts, 2-1, at Nickerson Field Wednesday night.

Riding a eight-game unbeaten streak, BU will now make its first trip to the title game since 2004 when they host Binghamton Saturday at 3 p.m.

Junior Shaun Taylor set up the game-winner for the top-seeded Terriers (10-5-3) when he made a quick cross inside the box to classmate Richy Dorman, who rifled a shot past 2007 AE Championship Most Outstanding Player Roger Scully to break the 1-1 tie at 81:45.

BU's Richy Dorman scored the game-winning goal on Wednesday. (BU Athletics)

With their season in jeopardy, the fourth-seeded Catamounts (9-4-7) raised their energy level, but their best opportunity to equalize, a header by Connor Tobin in the penalty area with 30 seconds left, was off target.

Otherwise, the BU backline, led by senior keeper Hrafn Davidsson and defender Dan Schultz, never broke and preserved the victory.

“It was a great game to watch and I’m proud of our team tonight,” said Vermont head coach Jesse Cormier. “We battled back after being down a goal at this place, a very hard place for opponents to play. After we tied it, BU outworked us by a little in the second half. I don’t want our guys to hang their heads. I’m proud of what they accomplished.”

BU got on the board first at 40:22, set up by a long run down the right side by senior Jon Jonsson. His low cross found classmate Jin Oh, who knocked home a low volley inside the left post from five yards out. AE Midfielder and Rookie of the Year Michael Bustamante was also credited with an assist on the play.

The Terriers entered the locker room ahead, 1-0, at the half with a 5-4 edge in shot attempts, but they didn’t hold onto the lead long, as Vermont’s Yannick Lewis lofted a ball from eight yards out over Davidsson off a through-ball from Jake McFadden to even the score at 48:09.

In the first meeting between the two teams three weeks prior in the regular season, Vermont tied the score and came away with a 1-1 draw after outshooting BU, 6-4, in the second half. In this contest, the Terriers were far more aggressive, attempting 14 shots total in the last stanza against just three from the Cats. They also led Vermont, 6-0, in corner kicks.

“There were a lot of emotions on both sides, and each team had control of the ball throughout the game,” said Terrier coach Neil Roberts. “We had the goal in the first half, but we didn’t think we were playing as well as we could have. At halftime, we said we needed to push the ball and put them under pressure. We did that, but they countered and scored. We had two really good chances in the first three minutes, but by the fourth minute, we have a tied game.

“I was proud of the way the guys settled down and just kept attacking,” he added. “We had some great chances and stretched them a little bit in the back. Michael had a great chance, Matt (Shea) had a chance, (Stephen) Knox had a chance and Richy put it away. That was good to see.”

Scully made four of his six saves in the last period, while Davidsson only needed one the entire game to earn the team’s 10th victory of the year.

The Terriers will now face the third-seeded Binghamton Bearcats (12-5-3), a team they defeated 2-0 at home on Oct. 11. With a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 2 Albany, Binghamton became the first team in the league’s history to advance to six consecutive conference championship games, topping the previous record of five set by Boston from 1993-1997.

The two squads met on Nickerson Field in 2004, and the Terriers captured the title after edging the Bearcats, 5-3, in penalty kicks. Binghamton last won the championship in 2006.

“Saturday will just be another game,” said Roberts, who is seeking his seventh-career tournament title. “We’re at the part of our program where we’re trying to put in a system of play that we want our team to run. We are not there yet, but we are seeing glimpses. We want to get that point where we are consistent. This is another opportunity for the kids to play in a high-pressure game and play their style of soccer.

“Binghamton is a very good team, and what happened in the last game earlier this season doesn’t mean anything,” he added. “We have to be sharp and try to make them play our style. We did it at times against Vermont, but not enough.”

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