Women's Soccer Clinches MAC East Title With 3-1 Win At Akron

Thursday, October 29

3 pm

11-6-2(7-3-1MAC)

Akron

6-12-1 (3-8)MAC

Buffalo

Akron

Women's Soccer Clinches MAC East Title With 3-1 Win At Akron

10/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York women's soccer team (11-6-2, 7-3-1 MAC) clinched their second straight Mid-American Conference East Division championship on Thursday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over Akron. UB women's soccer becomes the first women's program in UB history to win back-to-back MAC East titles. Kassidy Kidd and Julia Benati each netted their team-high sixth goal while Andrea Niper scored the game-winner.

The Basics

Score: Buffalo 3, Akron 1
Buffalo Goal Scorers: Julia Benati (6), Kassidy Kidd (6), Andrea Niper (2)
Buffalo Assists: Kassidy Kidd (6), Brianna Shingary (4), Moira Petrie (2)
Akron Goal: Karin Norman (3)
Records: Buffalo (11-6-2, 7-3-1 MAC), Akron (6-12-1, 3-8-0 MAC)
Location: FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field – Akron, OH
Attendance: 382
The Short Story: The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York women's soccer team clinched their second straight MAC East title with a dominant 3-1 win over Akron on Thursday afternoon on the road. The Bulls clinched the third-seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament and they will host Central Michigan on Sunday at 1:00 pm at UB Stadium.

Starting Lineups

Buffalo: Laura Dougall, Kristin Markiewicz, Angel Hart, Julia Benati, Jackie Hall, Carissima Cutrona, Kassidy Kidd, Celina Carrero, Moira Petrie, Brianna Shingary, Andrea Niper
Akron: Annabelle Hageman, Rachel Baughman, Katie George, Amy Dean, Jenna Anderson, Abby Gindlesberger, Holly Ohradzansky, Hannah Werth, Kiana Zuk, Sarah Sivic, Daniela Tellez

How It Happened

The Bulls were able to get the first shot of the match in the fourth minute as Andrea Niper had a long effort go just right of the net.
In the 7^th minute, Moira Petrie had a long shot that was pushed out of bounds for corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick, the Zips were able to clear away the dangerous ball sent into the box by Kassidy Kidd.
Laura Dougall made her first save of the match in the 10^th minute on a shot from just outside the box by Daniela Tellez.
UB was able to get on the board in the 13^th minute of action as Moira Petrie stole an Akron pass in the defensive zone and raced the other way. Petrie then slide a great ball to a streaking Kassidy Kidd who walked in all alone and buried the ball in the lower left corner of the net for her sixth career goal.
The Bulls almost made it 2-0 in the 18^th minute as Brianna Shingary sent in a great corner kick to the box where Jackie Hall headed the ball back to Andrea Niper who headed it just high and out of play.
In the 37^th minute, Rebecca Bramble makes great run, puts the ball between a defenders legs and makes a crossing effort to Dana Lytle who just couldn't reach the ball with an open net.
The Zips had the first chance of the second half as Hannah Werth sent a great ball into the box in the 49^th minute but Jenna Anderson's attempt was blocked away by the UB defense.
The Bulls had their first dangerous chance of the second half in the 54^th minute as Carissima Cutrona made a pretty pass to Moira Petrie who just missed the right corner of the net.
The Bulls earned a free kick in the 60^th minute which eventually turned into their second goal of the game. Kassidy Kidd took the kick and fed it into the corner to Brianna Shingary who crossed a great ball into the box where Andrea Niper headed home her second goal of the year into the left corner of the net.
Alex Lambert had a great chance to make it 3-0 in the 70^th minute but her shot was saved by a sprawling Akron keeper to prevent her from scoring her first goal of the season.
The Zips got on the board in the 75^th minute of play as Karin Norman ripped a great shot into the upper right corner of the net, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Bulls.
The UB offense didn't allow the Zips to get back into the game however as Dana Lytle earned a penalty kick after a nice play and Julia Benati converted on the chance, beating the keeper into the left corner of the net. The goal was Benati's team-leading sixth goal of the year.
In the 85^th minute, Cassie Betancourt made her first career save on a shot from Becca Gordon.
Rebecca Bramble had the Bulls final shot of the match in the 90^th minute but her effort went high, giving UB the 3-1 road win.

Inside The Numbers

With the win, UB wraps up the three-seed in the MAC Tournament and the regular season MAC East Championship. The Bulls finished the regular season with an 11-6-2 overall record and a 7-3-1 MAC record for 22 points.
With the win, the Bulls became the first women's team in UB history to win back-to-back MAC East championships.
The Bulls have now qualified for the MAC Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2002-03 and will host #6 Central Michigan in the MAC Quarterfinals.
With the win, Laura Dougall is now tied for second in program history for wins with 27.
With her goal, Senior Kassidy Kidd now has a team-high and career-high six goals on the year. Kidd's three point effort gives her a career-high five multi-point games and 18 total points.
With her assist on Kidd's goal, Moira Petrie now has a career-high two assists on the year. Her first assist since the Bulls season opening game against St, Joseph's.
With her header goal and game-winner, Andrea Niper now has tied a career-high with two goals for the Bulls.
With her goal, Julia Benati now has a career-high six goals and 15 points on the year.
Freshman Brianna Shingary recorded her fourth assist of the season on Niper's goal, giving her three points in her last three matches for the Bulls.
For the game, the Bulls held the 18-5 edge in shots and the 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Julia Benati led all players with a game-high three shots on goal in the win for UB.
Laura Dougall finished with one save in goal while Cassie Betancourt finished with two in her first career appearance for UB.

Player of the Match
Following the match, Kristin Markiewicz was awarded the "Player of the Match" award by the UB coaching staff after a great defensive effort for the Bulls.

Saint Joseph's – Jackie Hall
Drexel – Kristin Markiewicz
Canisius – Julia Benati
St. Bonaventure – Kassidy Kidd
Syracuse – Dana Lytle
Niagara – Rebecca Bramble
Binghamton – Kassidy Kidd / Celina Carrero
#7 West Virginia – Laura Dougall
Ohio – Brianna Shingary
Kent State – Carissima Cutrona
Eastern Michigan – Carissima Cutrona
Bowling Green – Moira Petrie
Western Michigan – Kassidy Kidd
Northern Illinois – Andrea Niper
Toledo – Kassidy Kidd
Central Michigan – Jackie Hall
Miami (OH) – Brianna Shingary
Ball State – Moira Petrie
Akron – Kristin Markiewicz

Up Next

The Bulls will return home on Sunday, November 1 as they will host Central Michigan in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The match will begin at 1:00 pm at UB Stadium.