On Sunday, the Massachusetts men’s soccer team was reminded of a harsh principle in sports: sometimes a good performance does not result in a victory.

That was the reality for the Minutemen, as they played well but lost a tight contest to Boston University 2-1 at Rudd Field.

“I thought we – particularly in the second half – outplayed a very, very good, well-coached Boston University side,” UMass coach Fran O’Leary said after the game. “We were disappointed with the result but very pleased with the performance.”

The Terriers (3-1) struck first in the ninth minute of the game in spectacular fashion when sophomore midfielder Anthony Viteri launched a 25-yard shot into the top right corner of the net to put BU up 1-0 early.

The Minutemen (0-6) spent the middle portion of the first half on their toes, under constant pressure from an aggressive Terriers attack. For long stretches at a time, BU completely owned the ball and whipped it around the field almost at will. But a solid backline led by defenders Matt Pease and Brandon Merklin – as well as goalkeeper Bardia Asefnia – kept the Terriers from increasing their lead.

UMass then tied the game in the 29th minute when Ty Goncalves scored his first goal of the season off of a slick pass from Alex Desantis that positioned him all alone with BU goalkeeper Matt Gilbert. It was a crafty finish that snuck into the right side of the goal and evened the game at 1-1.

But Goncalves’ strike seemed to wake BU up again. The Terriers then resumed their aggressive attack and took the lead again in the 39th minute when a quick sequence of passing carved up the Minutemen and set up Viteri for his second goal of the game.

The second half was a tighter defensive battle. UMass came out focused and played up to the Terriers’ level, and the result was a well-played half that might have been the Minutemen’s best stretch of soccer all year.

O’Leary spoke about the halftime adjustments UMass made.

“We tried to step up our lines just a few yards so we could engage them a little bit higher up the field,” O’Leary said. “We managed to create several turnovers. I thought that was a really good part of our game today.”

Desantis also mentioned the Minutemen’s fitness as a factor in the second half.

“We’re relatively fit right now. We knew if we kept coming at them, we’d get chances,” Desantis said.

With about 20 minutes remaining, UMass took even tighter control of possession. The Minutemen peppered the BU box with crosses, but Gilbert, at 6-foot-4, was often there to swat balls out of midair. UMass created a lot of pressure but failed to convert it into a game-tying finish.

At one point in the second half, a BU defender inside the penalty area appeared to make contact with the ball with his hand. No penalty was called however and O’Leary was irate at the referee and linesman, who gave him different explanations on the play.

With four minutes remaining, Desantis was awarded a free kick from about 20 yards out. His shot was hit with good power but aimed too closely to Gilbert, who grabbed it easily.

A few more last ditch attempts from the Minutemen were vaguely near the goal, but ultimately UMass couldn’t convert and BU escaped 2-1.

After the game, DeSantis said that he was encouraged by UMass’ ability to create numerous scoring chances despite falling short of finishing on a tying goal.

“It seems frustrating, but it’s motivational knowing we’ll get chances and eventually we’ll put them away,” DeSantis said. “We can work on finishing, but if we get into those positions we’ll be alright.”

The next chance the Minutemen will get at their first victory of the season is Wednesday, when Hartford travels to Amherst for a 4 p.m. game.

Ross Gienieczko can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @RossGien.