Sept. 29, 2011

Game Notes
Gametracker

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The No. 13 Boston College men's soccer team concludes a three-game road swing as it travels to NC State Friday night for a 7 p.m. match at Dail Soccer Field.

The Eagles (7-2-0, 1-1-0 ACC) have won the two previous matches on the road by a combined score of 3-0. Junior keeper Justin Luthy has 15 saves in the two shutouts while classmate Charlie Rugg has provided two of the three goals.

NC State (3-4-2, 0-2-0) has lost three of its last four matches, including a 2-1 setback against Clemson in double overtime last Friday night.

EAGLES FINISH ROAD TRIP AT NC STATE
• The No. 13 Boston College men's soccer team completes a three-game road stretch when it squares off against NC State in Raleigh Friday night.
• BC is 4-3-1 all-time against the Wolfpack and 3-2-0 since joining the ACC in 2005.
• The Eagles have lost in both visits to Dail Soccer Field since 2005, but the Wolfpack forfeited its victory in 2008. NC State also won in 2009, 2-1 in double overtime.
• Last year, BC earned a 4-3 win in Newton after registering three unanswered goals in a span of 3:41 in the second half.

LAST TIME OUT
• Freshman Diego Medina-Mendez and junior Charlie Rugg scored second half goals to lead No. 13 Boston College to a 2-0 win against Brown Tuesday night at Stevenson Field.
• Medina-Mendez scored the game-winning goal in the 58th minute. It was his third goal of the year.
• Rugg added the insurance tally in the 77th minute, which was his team-leading sixth goal.
• Junior Colin Murphy was credited with an assist on Medina-Mendez's score while senior Steve Rose helped out on Rugg's tally.
• Junior goalkeeper Justin Luthy recorded three saves in his third shutout of the season and second in as many matches.

LAST TIME VS. NC STATE
• Four players - Charlie Rugg, Sacir Hot, Stefan Carter and Conor Fitzpatrick - each scored a goal and No. 15 BC registered three unanswered goals in 3:41 in the second half to earn a 4-3 ACC victory over NC State through a driving rain at Newton Campus Field.
• The Eagles twice rallied from one-goal deficits - 1-0 in the 16th minute and 2-1 in the 30th minute - to build a 4-2 lead and capture the victory.
• Amit Aburmad tallied two assists and was hauled down in the 63rd minute drawing a penalty kick for the victors.
• Down 2-1 at halftime, Boston College's Hot, Carter and Fitzpatrick each scored between 59:59 and 63:40 to build a 4-2 lead.
• Hot, a central defender, launched a 70-yard kick that eluded NC State goalkeeper Will Mackvick (eight saves) for his first collegiate goal to tie the game at 2-2.
• Carter connected for his first collegiate goal just 23 seconds later. The Wheatley Heights, N.Y., resident finished Aburmad's through ball past a challenging goalkeeper Mackvick to lift BC to its first lead of the game at 60:21.
• Fitzpatrick concluded the Boston College scoring, converting a penalty kick in the 64th minute for the decisive goal and his fourth goal of the season.

POLL VAULTERS
• Boston College rocketed into the top 10 of three different national polls following its 4-0 start to the season.
• The NSCAA gave the Eagles the biggest bump, moving them to No. 8 after having been ranked 16th the week before.
• College Soccer News also ranked BC at No. 8 - up five spots from the No. 13 slot it held - while Soccer America moved BC from No. 18 to No. 14.
• Top Drawer Soccer ranked the Eagles highest at No. 7, improving four spots from the week prior.
• The Eagles are currently ranked in the top 15 in three different polls.

HOT START
• Boston College started out the season 4-0-0 for just the second time in program history. It also did it in 2004 - its last year playing in the Big East.
• BC beat Brown, Cal State Northridge, Syracuse and Boston University that season. The win against the Orange was the only one on the road.
• The Eagles have never gone undefeated in the first five games of a season.

TEAM STATS
• The Boston College attack had been firing on all cylinders before the shutout it suffered at No. 2 Maryland.
• The Eagles rank third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists (20) and fourth in goals (19) and points (59).
• BC came into this week ranked 20th in the country in goals scored and 21st in scoring offense (2.13).
• On the other side of the pitch, the maroon and white ranks second in the ACC in shutouts (4) and saves (40).

ABURMAD-NESS
• Senior Amit Aburmad has gotten off to a torrid start this season. He has five goals and five assists in the first nine contests.
• Aburmad ranks second in the ACC in assists (5), eight in goals (5) and sixth in points (15).
• The Zofim, Israel product ranks in the top 25 in four different offensive catgeories nationally, including: assists (ninth), assists per game (0.63, 13th), total points (16th) and points per game (1.88, 19th).
• He has scored five times on 21 shots and has 11 shots on goal.
• Aburmad also ranks second in the ACC in multiple-point games with four.

LUTHY ANCHORS THE DEFENSE
• Junior Justin Luthy has been a mainstay in goal since his arrival on campus three years ago.
• He has started all 50 matches in goal the last three seasons and was an All-ACC second-team and Freshman Team honoree in 2009.
• Through the first four games of the season, he allowed just three goals in 353 minutes of action. He was replaced with seven minutes to go in a 5-0 win against Quinnipiac.
• The Dublin, Ohio product has a 1.34 goals against average and has been credited with 40 saves - a .769 save percentage.
• He has helped pitch four shutouts this season which ranks second in the ACC while being third in save percentage.
• Luthy also ranks second in the conference and 23rd in the country in saves (40).

LUTHY'S CAREER NIGHT
• Junior Justin Luthy had to do everything he could to give BC a 1-0 win at Rhode Island September 23.
• He recorded his second shutout of the season, saving a career-high 12 shots in the process.
• Eight of those saves came in the second half, including five in the final 8:30 of play.
• The 12 saves are the most in a match in the ACC this season and it is the only double-digit save performance in the conference this year.
• It was also the most saves by an ACC keeper since Duke's James Belshaw had 15 on September 3, 2010.

BEND IT LIKE BEKKER
• Junior Kyle Bekker had to sit out the season opener due to a red card he received in the NCAA Tournament game at Brown last season, but he has made an impact since.
• In his first game of the season against Fairfield, the Oakville, Ontario product provided both goals in a 2-1 triumph.
• His first goal came in the 68th minute to break a scoreless tie and his other was on a free kick from 19 yards out in the 87th minute to win the game.
• In the 5-0 win vs. Quinnipiac, he tallied a goal and an assist and then he also provided a helper September 4 at No. 22 Dartmouth.
• Bekker ranks sixth in the ACC in shots (31) and fifth in assists (4).
• He also ranks 23rd in the country in assists.

RUGG BURN
• Junior Charlie Rugg has also done his part being a spark for the attack.
• The forward has put up a team-leading six goals to go along with a pair of assists.
• Rugg has tallied a point in seven of the nine matches this season.
• He scored twice in a 3-2 season-opening win against George Mason and earned ACC Player of the Week honors for his performance.
• He recorded an assist against Fairfield and then found the back of the net again vs. Quinnipiac.
• Rugg added another assist in the 2-0 win at No. 22 Dartmouth.
• He has scored three times in the last four matches and two of them (vs. Virginia Tech, at Rhode Island) provded to be game-winners.
• The goal against the Hokies came in the third minute of overtime off a corner and then the one at Rhode Island came just 1:58 after the opening whistle.
• Rugg ranks second in the ACC in game-winning goals (3), fifth in goals and seventh in points (14).

RUGG NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Junior Charlie Rugg was named the first Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week this year.
• Rugg paced the Boston College offense with a pair of goals in a 3-2 win against George Mason August 26.
• His first score came in the 44th minute to give the Eagles a 2-0 edge.
• After Mason made it a 2-1 game with a tally in the 79th minute, Rugg beat a couple of defenders by himself in the left side of the box and then beat the keeper for the game-winning goal in the 89th minute.
• It was the third time in his career that he scored a pair of goals in a match, and the first since 2009.
• In addition to the conference honor, Rugg was also recognized by regional and national outlets. College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer both named him to their respective National Teams of the Week.
• He was also named the SoccerSavings.com/New England Soccer News College Player of the Week.

MEDINA-MENDEZ MAKES QUICK IMPACT
• Freshman Diego Medina-Mendez has settled into his starting role.
• The speedy midfielder has scored three goals and assisted on another for seven points this season.
• His three goals rank third on the team.
• The Lindsay, Calif. native has two goals in the last four games, including what proved to be the game-winner at Brown Tuesday night.
• He also found the back of the net against Virginia Tech on September 16 to give BC a 2-1 lead in an eventual 4-3 overtime win.

AGER ENTERS POINT COLUMN
• Sophomore Chris Ager has started 22 games on defense but finally recorded his first career goal and assist - and both came in the same game.
• The Gjettum, Norway product scored and assisted on another goal in BC's 4-3 overtime win against Virginia Tech on September 16.
• Ager headed in a corner kick from junior Kyle Bekker in the 29th minute to tie the game, then assisted on the next score less than two minutes later to give the Eagles a 2-1 edge.

GOALS COME IN PAIRS
• Goal scoring came in bunches in the first two matches of the season.
• In the season opener against George Mason, junior Charlie Rugg recorded two goals to lead the Eagles to a 3-2 victory.
• Rugg had a goal in each half, including what proved to be the game-winner in the 89th minute.
• It was the third time in his career that he scored twice, the last coming in 2009.
• In the next contest against Fairfield, junior Kyle Bekker made his first appearance of the season with a bang.
• He scored both BC goals in a 2-1 win against Fairfield.
• It was the first multi-goal game of Bekker's career, who peppered the net with a game-high eight shots.
• His first goal came in the 68th minute to break a scoreless tie and his other was on a free kick from 19 yards out in the 87th minute to win the game.

HURRICANE IRENE
• Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc up and down the east coast on the first weekend of the season.
• The storm forced BC to postpone its match against Fairfield on Sunday, August 28.
• The game was played the next day and the Eagles won, 2-1.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
• Boston College scored five goals in a 5-0 shutout victory against Quinnipiac September 1.
• Senior Amit Aburmad scored two second half goals and assisted on another to lead the squad.
• It was the most goals scored by the Eagles since an 8-0 win against Maine on September 18, 2007.
• Aburmad established a career high with five points in the match. It was also the first time he scored two goals in his career.
• Junior Kyle Bekker recorded a goal and an assist.
• Junior Charlie Rugg scored a goal while freshman Diego Medina-Mendez found the back of the net for the first time in his BC career.
• Junior Stefan Carter and sophomore Ryan Dunn were both credited with assists. It was the first of Carter's career.

TOUGH AT HOME
• BC has been hard to beat at the Newton Campus Field over the last two seasons.
• The Eagles went 6-0-3 at home in 2010 and are off to a 4-1-0 start this year.
• Boston College is 14-1-3 in its last 18 regular season home games dating back to 2009 and is 18-5-3 overall in Newton since 2009.
• BC's last home loss came at the hands of Connecticut on September 20.
• Prior to that, the Eagles had won were unbeaten in their last 13 home matches.

THREE CAPTAINS NAMED
• The Eagles selected sophomore D Chris Ager, senior D/M Conor Fitzpatrick and junior D/M Colin Murphy as captains for the 2011 season.
• Ager is serving as team captain for the second time after starting the last 20 games dating back to 2010.
• Fitzpatrick has been a mainstay on the pitch since his arrival on campus, starting 63 games and appearing in 64. He has seven goals and two assists in his first three seasons.
• Murphy earned valuable international experience by representing New Zealand in the U-20 World Cup over the summer. He has played in 47 games with 44 starts at BC.