Bulls Fall 1-0 In Regular Season Finale At WMU; Earn 3-Seed For MAC Tournament

Saturday, November 7

1 pm

University at Buffalo

7-6-4, 2-2-1MAC

Western Michigan

11-3-4, 3-1-1MAC

Buffalo

Western Michigan

Bulls Fall 1-0 In Regular Season Finale At WMU; Earn 3-Seed For MAC Tournament

11/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, MI – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York men's soccer team (7-6-4, 2-2-1 MAC) dropped their regular season finale on the road at Western Michigan, 1-0. UB will enter next weekend's Mid-American Conference Tournament as the 3-seed, the first time the Bulls have earned a tournament berth since 2011.

The Basics

Score: Buffalo 0, Western Michigan 1
Western Michigan Goal Scorer: Sean Conerty (3)
Records: Buffalo (7-6-4, 2-2-1 MAC), Western Michigan (11-3-4, 3-1-1 MAC)
Location: WMU Soccer Complex – Kalamazoo, MI
Attendance: 701
The Short Story: Behind a free kick goal from long distance, the Western Michigan Broncos defeated the Bulls 1-0 on Senior Day in Kalamazoo. The loss clinched the 3-seed in the MAC Tournament for the Bulls.

Starting Lineups

Buffalo: Alec Fisher, Fox Slotemaker, David Enstrom, Russell Cicerone, Braden Culver, Austin Place, Steven Stryker, Nick Forrester, Scott Doney, Braden Scales, Joseph Kuta
Western Michigan: Chase Rau, Sean Hazen, Carlos Suarez, Connor Ferguson, Sean Conerty, Dom Hunter, Nick Wysong, Zach Bock, Greg Timmer, Esteban Russell

How It Happened

In the 13^th minute, Joseph Kuta was forced to make his first save of the match as the WMU forward took a hard shot that he calmly grabbed.
The Broncos were able to score the first goal of the match in the 18^th minute as Sean Conerty placed a free kick from near midfield on goal and Joseph Kuta was not able to grab the high hard shot.
The Broncos almost made the score 2-0 in the 22^nd minute as Brandon Bye stole a missed clearance from Joseph Kuta and rang a hard low shot off the left goal post.
Braden Scales had a chance to tie the game in the 26^th minute but his right-footed shot went just high over the cross bar.
The Broncos had the first scoring chance of the second half as Sean Conerty took a hard low shot in the 59^th minute which forced Joseph Kuta to make a diving stop.
In the 64^th minute, Austin Place had the Bulls first shot of the second half as he took a shot from the top of the box that was saved by the Broncos keeper.
A minute later Sean Conerty almost netted his second of the game as his right-footed blast from just inside the box went just over the cross bar.
UB had a great chance to score the tying goal in the 71^st minute as Russell Cicerone took a feed in the box but the Western Michigan defender came sliding over and blocked Cicerone's shot out of harms way.
In the 85^th minute, Western Michigan took a UB turnover and raced down the field on a 2-on-1 opportunity but Sean Conerty's hard low shot was scooped up by Joseph Kuta.
Scott Doney had a great chance to knot the game in the 88^th minute of play as Russell Cicerone headed a ball towards the net and Doney got off a shot that the Broncos keeper made a strong diving stop on.

Inside The Numbers

With the loss, the Bulls clinched the 3-seed in next weekend's MAC Tournament. The Tournament appearance is the first for UB since 2011.
The Bulls finished the season with a 7-6-4 overall record and a 2-2-1 record in MAC play, giving UB their most victories in a season since 2011 when they won eight.
Junior Russell Cicerone concluded one of the best regular seasons in recent history as he notched 11 goals and eight assists for 30 points. His 30 points ranks sixth in program history for points in a season.
The Broncos held the 12-6 edge in shots and the 1-0 edge in corner kicks.
Steven Stryker, Braden Culver and Alec Fisher each notched a shot on goal in the loss.
Sophomore Joseph Kuta finished with three saves in the loss.

Up Next

The Bulls will hit the road for the MAC Tournament on Friday, November 13. UB will be the three-seed and play against either Western Michigan or Akron in the semifinal round of the tournament.