Men's Soccer Heads To Morgantown For A Saturday Clash With the Mountaineers
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BUFFALO, NY – The State University of New York, Buffalo men's soccer team hits the road for a conference showdown with the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday at noon. The Bulls enter the contest with an overall record of 5-8-2 but have an unblemished conference mark of 1-0-2 and currently sit in third place in the Mid-American Conference standings with five points.
"We've had a great week of training in preparation for this weekends match," stated second-year head coach Stu Riddle. "Spirits are high after our recent run of form. We are all excited for the match and know it's going to be a very tough challenge for us on the road."
The Bulls are beginning to hit their stride at the right time of the season, as they are 3-1-2 in last six matches including back-to-back impressive victories. UB has outscored their opponents 11-5 in their last six matches and have earned two clean sheets.
Last time out, the Bulls earned their first MAC victory of the season as they defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies by the score of 2-1 at UB Stadium. Russell Cicerone, reigning MAC Player of the Week, continued his hot streak as he netted both goals for the Bulls in the victory. Both markers were highlight reel goals as he beat the NIU keeper in the first half to the upper left corner and to the upper right corner in the second half.
The Bulls picked up their most decisive victory of the season on Tuesday night as they downed Big Four rival St. Bonaventure by the score of 4-0, a season-high in goals. The UB defense had their best showing of the season, as they did not allow a shot to the Bonnies and Waleed Cassis earned his first clean sheet. Offensively, Cicerone was all over the field as he netted two goals and assisted on the other two. Marcus Hanson had a very impressive showing, notching a goal and an assist while Nicolai Berry recorded his first goal of the season.
Leading the team offensively is Cicerone who leads the team and ranks second in the MAC with 10 goals to go along with three assists and three game-winning goals. Hanson has had a solid season, racking up two goals and four assists while Berry is tied for the team lead with four assists.
The very young UB defense is led by a pair of freshman center backs in David Enstrom and Fox Slotemaker. The defense has been picking up their play lately, earning two clean sheets and allowing one goal or less in five of their last six matches. In goal, Cassis has been playing at a high level for the Bulls as he owns a 4-5-2 record to go along with a 1.56 goals-against average and one clean sheet.
West Virginia enters the contest with an overall record of 9-6-1 and a conference mark of 1-1-1 following a 1-0 victory over Penn on Tuesday night. Leading the Mountaineers offensively is senior forward Andy Bevin who has racked up nine goals and eight assists for 26 points on the season. Bevin leads the squad in shots with 45 and game-winning goals with three so far this season. Jamie Merriam has been a consistent second scoring option all season long as he has netted seven goals and three assists. In goal, the Mountaineers have used a pair of goalkeepers in Lee Johnston and Brent Arnold. Johnston has started nine contests and owns a 4-3-1 record to go along with a 1.38 goals-against average and three clean sheets while Arnold is 5-3-0 with a 1.42 GAA and a pair of clean sheets.
UB has one more regular season match remaining on their schedule after the West Virginia match as they will travel to Akron to take on the Zips at 7:00 pm on November 8.
