Men's soccer weekly release
9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Busy Week Concludes Non-League Slate
The University at Buffalo men's soccer team played its final three non-conference contests last week, scoring a victory over Niagara on Friday but falling to Canisius on Wednesday and on the road at Duquesne on Sunday. The Bulls are 5-5-1 as they complete their Mid-American Conference throughout October and November.
Craven Nets OT Winner To Dump Niagara
UB's 2-1 victory against Niagara on Friday night was sealed when sophomore Richard Craven scored an overtime goal two minutes into the first extra period. It was Craven's second goal of the season as he took a pass from pass from Maksym Kowal in front of the Niagara goal and pushed the shot past goalkeeper Brett Petricek at the 92:01 mark for the winning tally. UB opened the scoring in the second half as freshman Lukas Fedler scored his first career goal on a header in front of the box off a corner kick by Risto Latti in the 61st minute. The goal broke a string of 364 scoreless minutes by the Purple Eagles.
Playing Through the Rain
UB's two home matches last week had a similar theme and it wasn't the play on the field. Both matches were playing in driving rainstorms and were delayed by nearby lightning strikes. Against Canisius, lighting was sighted near UB Stadium with six minutes remaining in the first half. After a mandatory 30-minute wait, lightning struck on the field as both the Bulls and Golden Griffins netted goals before halftime. Against Niagara, lightning was sighted just as the halftime whistle blew prompting a 45-minute wait between the first and second halves. All three of UB's home matches, including the September 7 opener with NJIT, have been played in rain. UB also played a road match at Detroit on September 4 in rain that stopped just as Nate Woods scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Bulls.
Scouting the Huskies
The lone match on the week's schedule for the Bulls is the MAC opener at Northern Illinois, slated for Saturday, October 1 at 2:00 pm (1:00 pm Central Time). In last season's meeting at UB Stadium on October 22, 2010, Kyle Rogers scored his only two goals of the season with a pair of second half markers in the 3-2 victory for the Bulls. This season, NIU is off to fast start with a 7-1 record and a number 20 national ranking. The Huskies have allowed just four goals this season and shut out five opponents, including their last two opponents. Gael Rivera and Paul Hogan lead the team with three goals apiece while goalkeeper Jordan Godsey sports a 0.49 goals against average. The all-time series with the Huskies is tied at 9-9-1.
