Preview of Saturday's Men's Soccer Match vs. BU

Boston University Terriers (5-3-1) at Stony Brook Seawolves (6-4-1)


Saturday, Oct. 2
LaValle Stadium
Stony Brook, N.Y.
7 p.m.

Boston University Terriers (5-3-1, 0-0-0 America East)

Head Coach: Neil Roberts, 26th season

Career Record: 292-143-70

Record at BU: Same

Stony Brook Seawolves (6-4-1, 0-0-0 America East)

Head Coach: Cesar Markovic, seventh season

Career Record: 150-123-32

Record at SBU: 54-56-20

The Matchup

Stony Brook opens conference play with a six-match unbeaten streak on the line as it takes on the Boston University Terriers. This is a battle between the top two teams in America East, according to the preseason coaches poll. Both teams received three first-place votes, but the Terriers had one more overall point than the Seawolves to earn the top spot in the poll. This is the 10th all-time meeting between the two teams, and the Terriers lead the series 6-3-0. Stony Brook is 2-1 against BU at home. The two teams come into today's match tied at No. 10 in this week's NSCAA/hendrickcars.com Northeast Region poll.

Scouting the Opponent

Boston University is 5-3-2 on the season with victories over Rhode Island, Hartford (in a non-conference match), nationally ranked Harvard, Columbia and Seton Hall. The Terriers have opposed three nationally ranked teams this season, going 1-2. BU is coming off a disappointing 2009 season that saw it finish sixth in America East, coming off a 2008 regular season and tournament championship. The team returned four All-Conference players from last season's team, prompting high expectations for a squad that has captured seven league championships and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 14 times. Last year's leading scorer Aaron O'Neal is at it again, tied for the BU lead in points with nine and leading the team in goals with four.

Last Time Out

Down 2-0 in the first half, Stony Brook battled back to score three unanswered goals to knock off Quinnipiac 3-2 Sunday at LaValle Stadium. Raphael Abreu, Berian Gobeil Cruz and Leonardo Fernandes all scored for the Seawolves, with Fernandes putting in the game-winning goal in the 77th minute. Fernandes scored the goal using his heel from behind to put the ball in the net. The victory extended Stony Brook's unbeaten streak to five matches and kept the Bobcats winless (0-5-1) on the season.

Alumni Day

Stony Brook is hosting its annual alumni game at 2:30 p.m. at LaValle Stadium. Afterwards, the group will get together for a social function at The Bench Bar & Grill between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff.

Into the Rankings

Stony Brook has entered the NSCAA/hendrickcars.com Northeast Region Top 10 poll at No. 10, tied with fellow America East schools New Hampshire and Boston University.

Gobeil Cruz earns an accolade

Berian Gobeil Cruz was named BigAppleSoccer.com's Men's College Player of the Week after scoring a pair of goals to lead Stony Brook to a tie against Harvard and a win over Quinnipiac.

Fernandes Earns Multiple Honors

Leonardo Fernandes scored seven points the weekend of Sept. 17-19 and has been recognized for his efforts. He was named the America East Player of the Week and the SimplexGrinnell Stony Brook Athlete of the Week and was selected to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.

Four Goals A Plenty

Stony Brook had an offensive outburst against Central Connecticut State Sept. 17, beating the Blue Devils 4-2. The four goals were the most by a Stony Brook team since putting five on the board on Sept. 11, 2005.

Beating One of the Best

On Sept. 12, the Seawolves knocked off Dartmouth 1-0 on its home field in the Dartmouth Classic Tournament. Stony Brook got a goal from Berian Gobeil Cruz in the 34th minute and keeper Stefan Manz made four saves to preserve the shutout. The victory was big for SBU considering that Dartmouth was receiving votes in last week's NSCAA/hendrickcars.com National Rankings and was fourth in the Northeast Region poll.

Looking For Two Straight

Last season was a magical one for Stony Brook as the Seawolves finished the regular season with a five-match unbeaten streak to get into the America East Tournament, where they dispatched Hartford and UMBC to win the conference title, just the second in program history. This season's squad will look to replicate that success and bring the Seawolves back to the NCAA Tournament.