Soccer Welcomes Local Rival Canisius For Home Opener On Thursday Night
9/5/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BUFFALO, NY – Riding a three-game winning streak, the University at Buffalo women's soccer team (3-1-0, 0-0-0 MAC) returns to UB Stadium on Thursday night for their first home match of the season. The Bulls will welcome crosstown rival Canisius on Thursday night with their sights set on their fourth straight win.
The Bulls are coming off of a very strong weekend on the pitch as they were able to collect a pair of shutout victories over Cornell and Albany. The Bulls earned a 2-0 victory at Cornell on Friday night before closing out the weekend with another strong 2-0 victory over a strong Albany side.
The Bulls have seen a rise in their goal production through four matches this season and this weekend senior captain Carissima Cutrona was the culprit as she netted three goals and an assist across two UB victories. The senior netted both game-winners and finished off her first multi-goal outing of the season on Sunday at Albany. She currently leads the Bulls and ranks second in the MAC in scoring as she has three goals, three assists and nine points while recording a team-best nine shots.
Cutrona hasn't been the only Bull that is enjoying a strong start to the season as sophomore Kaitlyn Walsh has already set a career-high with six points on two goals and two assists as she has become a dynamic playmaker for the Bulls. Sophomore Marcy Barberic is setting in nicely up top as she has created a nice chemistry alongside Cutrona, producing a goal and an assist for three points while using her pace to create scoring chances for the Bulls. Gianna Yurchak is also enjoying a strong start to her second season with the Bulls as she has a goal on five shots while starting all five matches for UB.
Defensively, the Bulls are leaning on freshman goalkeeper Emily Kelly and she has been up to that tall task. The Wilson, NY native hasn't allowed a goal since the opening half of the Bulls season opener at St. John's as she is currently riding a shutout streak of 328:40 minutes, the second longest in program history. After delivering a pair of clean sheets this weekend, Kelly earned her first MAC Defensive Player of the Week recognition as she finished the two wins with 13 saves. On the year, Kelly owns a 3-1 record with a 0.75 goals-against average, three shutouts and 22 saves.
Kelly does owe a lot of credit for her early collegiate success to the play of the defense in front of her as junior captain Gurjeena Jandu and freshman Tess Ford have anchored a stingy Buffalo backline so far this season. Jandu has turned into one of the premier defenders in the conference over her UB career and she had been great for the Bulls this season. Ford has been a pleasant surprise for Coach Burke as she has played a pivotal role at center back while senior Rebecca Bramble and freshman Abbey Callaghan have shown flashes of great play at right and left back respectively.
The Golden Griffins enter Thursday match with a 2-1-1 overall record after earning a 2-2 road draw at St. Bonaventure on Sunday afternoon. The Griffs are being led offensively by Paige Buscaglia and Madeline Beaulieu who have each netted two goals on the season with Buscaglia recording a team-high 15 shots. Hope Balling is also enjoying a nice start offensively for the Griffs as she has notched a team-best three assists on the season.
In goal, Canisius is relying heavily on junior Alana Rossi who is having a strong season between the pipes for the Griffs. Rossi is 2-1-1 on the year while owning a 1.18 goals-against average with one clean sheet and nine saves on the year.
The Bulls will return to the UB Stadium pitch on Sunday afternoon as they welcome St. Francis (PA) for a non-conference tilt. First kick is set for 12:00 pm on Sunday.
