BOSTON – Despite being down to 10 men for the final 30 minutes of the game, the American University men's soccer team was able to hold Boston University off for a majority of the contest, until the Terriers struck back with an equalizer in the 88th minute and forced the 2-2 tie.

QUICK NOTABLES

• In the 19th minute, American forced a BU error in the box and were rewarded with a Terriers' own goal to give AU the early lead.
• With 10 minutes to play in the opening half, Boston U. came back and leveled the contest at 1-all.
• Ethan Boyle scored what looked to be the difference-making goal early in the second half to give American a 2-1 lead.
• A Terriers' goal in the 88th minute would snipe the Eagles' first win over BU since 2016 out from under them and make it 2-2.
• Boyle's goal was the graduate student's second of the season. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game was mostly played in AU's half until the 15-minute mark of the first half. It was then that the Eagles started making moves, forcing possession to be much more even.
• The goal came in the 19th minute. American received a free kick near to the touchline around the 18-yard box. Taku Takahashi sent the ball across the goal and a few different Eagles' players got a touch on it to send it toward the back of the net.
• Ultimately, the goal would be credited as an own goal for BU.
• Knocking on the door was Boston, and in the 32nd minute the Terriers got on the board with a header from Aidan Bone. A last-ditch save from defender Nicholas Shirley had the ball flying back out of the goal, but it was deemed to have crossed the line to count and the match was 1-all.
• Another free kick for Takahashi in the attacking third was redirected and sent just over the crossbar, and with the resulting corner kick AU was pushing, but no one was able to send in a shot on frame.
• Dilane Zouantcha was able to intercept what was intended to be a clearance header from a BU defender and volleyed the ball up to Boyle who only had to beat his defender before taking on the keeper and chipping the ball directly into the back of the net. That put American up 2-1 on the road in the 58th minute.
• Four minutes later, at the top of the box, Shirley would get a red card, giving the Terriers a player advantage for the rest of the game and a dangerous free kick. The free kick would ultimately find its way into the back of the goal but was ruled offside.
• In the 88th minute, a BU corner kick resulted in the ball, again, being put in the back of the net and again, being called back because of a Terriers' foul in the leadup.
• At the 87:47 mark, Bone scored his second goal of the day and knotted the game 2-all with the clock ticking down. Neither side was able to find a game-winner in the final moments.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• American and Boston University combined for 16 shots, with BU outshooting American 19-3 overall and 9-3 in shots on goal. Fourteen of the Terriers' shots came in the second half.
• Junior Matthew Tibbetts made seven saves on the afternoon.
• One red card for American, and 11 total yellow cards were issued in the contest. BU received six yellow cards to AU's five. 

UP NEXT

• American will host Youth Soccer Day on Friday, Nov. 1, at 1:00 p.m., against Holy Cross. That contest will be the Eagles' final home game of the season. 

FOLLOW THE EAGLES
Instagram | Twitter | AUEagles