DURHAM, N.H. – Senior forward Chris Arling (Windham, N.H.) scored the game-winning goal in Thursday night's season opener to give the University of New Hampshire men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Boston University in front of 2,132 fans at Wildcat Stadium. Graduate student goalkeeper Alejandro Robles (Monterey, Mexico) posted two saves to contribute to the win on the defensive end. UNH starts the season at 1-0-0, while the Terriers fall to 0-1-0.
Before the game, the third annual Oyster River Youth Association Soccer Fest took place on Tucker Field. It was the official kick off to the ORYA soccer season. (Photo by Meghan Murphy)
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats hit the road for a non-conference match versus Providence, Monday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. taking on the Friars at Field at Anderson Stadium. You can watch live on Friars All-Access.
NEXT HOME GAME:
UNH returns to Wildcat Stadium on Wed. Sept. 18, for a Granite State match up with Dartmouth at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION: Score: New Hampshire 1, Boston University 0 Records: UNH (1-0-0), Boston University (0-1-0) Location: Durham, N.H. (Wildcat Stadium) Date: Thursday, August 29, 2019 Time: 7:00 p.m. Attendance: 2,132
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the third minute, graduate student Fabian Lutz (Bad Gröenenbach, Germany) crossed a dangerous spinning ball into the Terriers penalty box, but Michael Stone made his first save of the game for BU.
Ten minutes later, Kari Petursson took a free kick for the Terriers, which he blasted towards the lower left corner of the net, but this led to Robles' first save of the night.
In the 18th minute, junior midfielder Linus Fallberg (Jonkoping, Sweden) skimmed a quick cross from the left side of the box across the Terrier defense, but was left untouched, leading to a goal kick.
Chris Arling scoring the game winner (Photo by Meghan Murphy)
In the 23rd minute (22:50), Arling scored the game-winning goal and the Wildcats' first goal of the season from a play that began on a corner kick from senior midfielder Antonio Colacci (Bradenton, Fla.). The initial shot in the box came from Lutz, whose shot created a rebound in the box for Arling, who blasted the ball straight into the middle of the net.
In the 33rd minute, Colacci slipped a pass to junior midfielder Lukas Rubio (Liverpool, N.Y.), who lofted the ball over Stone from 19 yards out as it bounced off of the crossbar.
By the end of the first half, the Wildcats still held their 1-0 lead over the Terriers. UNH outshot BU 7-2 in the first 45 minutes, while BU outnumbered UNH in corner kicks 3-2.
In the 55th minute, senior forward Jack Doherty (Meriden, N.H.) drove a rocket from 25 yards out for the Wildcats' first shot of the second half, but Stone was all over it as he recorded another save for the Terriers.
Jonny Wolf (Photo by Meghan Murphy)
In the 63rd minute, sophomore midfielder Jonny Wolf (Hopkinton, Mass.) coasted a curling ball across the box and forced Stone to make a diving save to keep the score 1-0 Wildcats.
The Wildcats were able to keep the Terriers off the scoreboard to finish the first game of the season with a victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Robles made two saves to improve to 1-0 on the season, while Stone posted 10.
UNH outshot Boston University, 16-5, while the Wildcats took 11 shots on goal and the Terriers tallied two.
UNH had four corner kicks, while Boston University took three.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE: Fabian Lutz (Photo by Meghan Murphy)
Arling's winning goal in tonight's game marked his 23rd career goal for UNH and ninth game-winning goal of his career.
With his assist on Arling's goal, Lutz earned his first point as a Wildcat.
With this victory, Robles earned his first win and shutout as a Wildcat.
UNH is now 21-1-3 all-time at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 45-9 over the 25 games played at the stadium.
UNH is now 4-1-0 in season openers under head coach Marc Hubbard.
The Wildcats' all-time record against BU is now 22-23-8.
STAY CONNECTED:
There are numerous ways to stay connected with the UNH men's soccer team. Follow the Wildcats on Twitter @UNHMSoccer and on Instagram @unhmenssoccer.
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