BOSTON – In the first of a two-game road trip, Harvard men's soccer dropped a decision to Boston University, 1-0, on Saturday evening at Nickerson Field. 

Freshman Paolo Belloni-Urso led the Crimson (1-3-1) offense with three shots, and the Harvard attack outshot the Terriers (1-5) by a 6-5 margin in the contest. Freshman Matt Freese earned his first-career start between the posts, making a pair of saves in his debut.

Locked in a defensive battle in the first half, the Terriers broke the scoreless tie when Adam Sheikali found the back of the net on a pass from Satchel Cortet with under two minutes to play in the period. Midway through the second half, the Crimson offense picked up. Freshman Cornelius Bencsik connected with Belloni-Urso at the top of the 18-yard box, but he pulled the shot just wide. Moments later the Crimson had another opportunity to knot up the score after Belloni-Urso ripped a shot off Terrier defenders, but the shot ricocheted out of play.

Harvard took the game down to the wire. After a Boston University foul gave the ball back to the Crimson with under a minute to play, senior Christian Sady lobbed a pass inside six yards that brought out Terrier goalkeeper William Bonnelyche. The Terrier defense, however, was able to keep the ball from crossing the back line. 

Harvard Highlights:

• Goalkeeper Matt Freese earned his first-career start, making a pair of stops over 90 minutes.
• In his first start of his career Freese recorded two saves.
• Senior Eric Gylling almost put the Crimson on the board first just 12 minutes in to the match, but he lined a shot off the crossbar.
• Belloni-Urso has led the Crimson in shots in four of five games this season.

Game Notes:

• The Crimson dropped to 24-15-8 all-time against Boston University.
• Confident in back, Harvard held the Terriers to just five shots, including one in the second half.

What's Next:
Harvard returns to the pitch on Sept. 19 when it travels to Rhode Island for a 7 p.m. tilt.