Charlie Davies showed why he just might be the best player in college soccer, scoring Boston College’s first two goals and assisting on the third as the Eagles upset Maryland, 3-1, Friday night before 6,214 fans, the second-largest crowd ever at Ludwig Field.
Davies, the ACC leader in goals and points entering the match, recorded his 13th and 14th goals of the season, tying, then snapping BC’s 36-year old single-season record formerly set by Charlie Mundhenk in 1970.
It was the first time Maryland had lost at home in exactly two years. It was also the first-ever road win for BC in the ACC.
Duke moved into Maryland’s No. 2 spot in the Soccer America Top 25 with a 4-1 win at N.C. State. Chris Loftus, Spencer Wadsworth, Tim Jepson and Mike Grella all scored for Duke. It was the third win in a row for the Blue Devils, who are in sole possession of first place in the ACC.
Also in the ACC, Wake Forest beat its second ranked team on the road this week with a 1-0 win over North Carolina. Julian Valentin‘s goal in the 19th minute proved to be the game-winner for the Demon Deacons, who moved up to the No. 3 spot UNC vacated. Valentin also had the only goal in the 1-0 overtime win at Connecticut on Tuesday night.
Virginia Tech showed that it should not be forgotten as the Hokies crushed Clemson, 5-2. Ghanaian star Patrick Nyarko put Tech ahead with two first-half goals. Brent Dillie added two goals in the second half.
MUSTANGS TAMED. Central Florida snapped No. 1 SMU’s six-game winning streak by holding the Mustangs to a 2-2 tie Saturday night in Conference USA action.
SMU (13-0-2) had allowed only three first-half goals in 14 games, but UCF jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Mike Mattson with a low 25-yard shot in the 14th minute and James Georgeff on a header in the 40th minute. But the Mustangs rallied with goals from sophomore Bruno Guarda just before halftime and Chase Wileman‘s penalty kick in the 84th minute.
BIG EAST BOMBERS. New Zealand international Jarrod Smith broke the Big East record for goals and points in a season in conference play when he scored twice after intermission in West Virginia’s 2-0 win Georgetown. Smith’s 12 goals broke Seton Hall’s Michael Magarinos‘ record of 11 goals set in 1995. Smith also broke the Big East record for season points as he now has 27, three more than Georgetown’s Erick Kvello‘s old mark of 24 points set in 1997.
Joseph Lapira scored in his seventh straight game for Notre Dame with a goal in the No. 10 Irish’s 3-0 win over Providence on Saturday night. Lapira boosted his NCAA Division I men’s scoring lead to 19 goals and 41 points. He is chasing Smith for the Big East conference scoring record. Lapira now has 11 goals and 24 goals.
- MOVING ON UP
Four teams moved into the Soccer America Men’s Top 25 for the first time this season:
TOWSON (No. 20). Junior forward Angus Burke scored two first-half goals as the CAA leader (7-0-1) beat visiting Old Dominion, 3-1, on Sunday after crushing William & Mary, 3-0, on Friday night.
LEHIGH (No. 23). The Mountain Hawks beat Bucknell, 2-0, to extend their winning streak to 11 games and improve to 11-1-1 overall and 5-0 in Patriot League play. Senior Joe Verdi scored the winning goal on a header off classmate Tom Zubulake’s flip throw-in in the 75th minute.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (No. 24). The Huskies won for only the second time in 14 games with Akron, beating the Zips, 1-0, on Marcus McCarty’s eighth goal of the season. NIU is now in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament at 4-0-0.
HARVARD (No. 25). Sophomore midfielder Michael Fucito had a monster game with two goals and three assists in the Crimson’s 6-2 win over Brown. Charles Altchek added two goals in a two-minute stretch early in the second half.