Senior Stephen Knox scored in the 88th minute and reigning America East Rookie of the Week Nick Thomson stopped one shot to give the Boston University men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over No. 22 Providence on a rainy Tuesday night at Nickerson Field.
With their third straight win, the Terriers (5-5-0) earn their first victory over a ranked squad since beating then-No. 20 Harvard in 2010. They also finish on the winning side against the Big East after dropping hard fought 1-0 decisions to current-No. 1 Connecticut and No. 8 St. John's back in September.
Named America East Player of the Game, Knox controlled a cross inside the box from freshman Taylor Washington and fired past Providence's Jhojan Obando for the victory. Sophomore Anthony Ciccone was also credited with an assist for helping set up Washington's pass.
Led by Knox's five shots, the Terriers finished with a 14-11 advantage over the Friars (6-3-1) in attempts while also holding a 4-1 edge in corners. Keith Jecewiz recorded a team-high three shots for Providence, and Obando had four saves in the loss.
After a first half in which the teams were even in attempts with four apiece, the pace picked up considerably in the second with Providence and BU combining for 17 shots. Obando stopped a shot from Souri at 52:13, and one minute later, Thomson defended an attempt from Jimmy Petruccelli.
The Friars had another opportunity in the 57th minute to break the scoreless deadlock, but Keith Jecewiz's soft header was inches wide of the left post off a cross from the right side. The Terriers also had bad luck at 63:22 when Badji's running attempt at the top of the box hit the left post.
During the 68th minute on a counter attack by Providence, the Friars lost control of the ball while being pressured by BU defenders, leading to a scramble. Marcos Ugarte managed to put a foot on the ball but was off angle as his shot nailed the near post on the right side.
BU and Providence continued to exchange possession the rest of the way with the Terriers finally finding the net at 87:16 for Knox's third goal of the season. The Friars' Wilder Arboleda had one final attempt but was well wide one minute later, as BU earned its third shutout of the season and improved to 11-3-3 all-time against the Friars.
Having won four of the last five games, the defending America East regular season champion Terriers will next host defending conference tournament champion UMBC on Saturday (Oct. 8) with action set to begin at 1 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the first 200 will receive a free drawstring backpack on Sportsmanship Day. There will be free admission for community groups and youth teams that register in advance by e-mailing lpare@bu.edu.
BU will host a meet-and-greet with student-athletes for the groups prior to the game with free food and discussion on sportsmanship. There will also be a postgame autograph session.