Courtesy of UBBulls.com
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men’s soccer team (8-1-0, 0-0-0 MAC) got back to its winning ways on Wednesday night in front of a big crowd at UB Stadium as they were able to retain the Big 4 Shield with a gutsy 2-1 victory over St. Bonaventure. The 8-1-0 start for the Bulls ties a program record for best start to a season and UB will etch their name on the Big 4 Shield for the second consecutive season.
The Basics
Score: Buffalo 2, St. Bonaventure 1
Buffalo Goal Scoreres: Russell Cicerone (11), Ryan Pereira (1)
Buffalo Assists: Russell Cicerone (7)
St. Bonaventure Goal Scorers: Kieran Toland (2)
Records: Buffalo (8-1-0, 0-0-0 MAC), St. Bonaventure (1-6-1, 0-0-0 A10)
Location: UB Stadium – Buffalo, NY
Crowd: 712
Starting Lineups
Buffalo: Alec Fisher, Daniel Cramarossa, Fox Slotemaker, David Enstrom, Steven Stryker, Russell Cicerone, Austin Place, Rikard Lindqvist, Felipe Vieira, Braden Scales, Joseph Kuta
St. Bonaventure: Matt Lane, Noel Orozco, Remi Dujardin, Paul Afful, Jacob Dyck, Kieran Toland, Isaiah Wilson, Jon-Michael Perkins, Anthony Sileo, Anthony Gaglianese, Alex Olday
How It Happened
In the 10th minute of action the Bulls had a great chance as Braden Scales headed a cross onto Sclaes header save diving – corner 10th min
After St. Bonaventure had their first shot of the match, Braden Scales almost found the back of the net but his hard shot was saved by the finger tip of the diving keeper.
In the 25th minute, Russell Cicerone added to his NCAA-leading goal total with a laser to the upper left corner of the net from 25 yards out on the free kick.
The Bulls made the score 2-0 just under a minute into the second half as Russell Cicerone made a great run down the left wing and sent a great cross into the box where Ryan Pereira netted his first of the season into the right corner.
The Bonnies had a great chance to score in the 55th minute as Jacob Dyck saw his right-footed shot just miss the left corner of the net.
St. Bonaventure was able to make the score 2-1 in the 58th minute of play as Kieran Toland forced an UB turnover and powered a shot past Joseph Kuta into the lower right corner of the net.
The Bulls almost responded immediately in the 62nd minute as Rikard Lindqvist sent a great ball into the box off the corner kick but Russell Cicerone’s header just missed the top of the net and went out of play.
After a couple of chances each way, the Bonnies had a great chance in the 88th minute to tie the match but Kyle Kleckner’s header went just wide.
The Bulls appeared to draw a penalty kick in the 89th minute as Steven Stryker was taken down in the box but he was awarded a yellow card for diving instead, giving the Bonnies a final possession with the ball.
On the ensuing possession, Kwame Opoku saw his right-footed shot soar over the goal and the Bulls were able to waste the clock away and collect the win.
Inside The Numbers
With the win, the Bulls improved to 8-1-0 on the year, matching the best start to a season in program history.
With his goal and assist tonight, Russell Cicerone continues to lead the nation in goals (11) and points (29). His assist was the 20th of his career, moving him into first place on the Bulls all-time assists list.
Russell Cicerone has now scored at least one goal in 12 straight home matches at UB Stadium. The Bloomfield Hills, MI product also finished off his career against St. Bonaventure with six goals and six assists for 18 points in four matches.
Redshirt junior Ryan Pereira netted his first career goal in his 38th career match on Wednesday.
Freshman Felipe Vieira earned his first career start for the Bulls tonight in the win.
For the match, the Bulls held the 21-15 edge in shots and the slim 9-8 lead in corner kicks.
Russell Cicerone led all players with six shots in the match while Braden Scales finished with four and Tommy Fogarty-Cameron finished with three off the bench.
For The Foes
The Bonnies were led offensively by Kieran Toland who netted his second goal of the season while also recording two shots in the loss.
In goal, Alex Olday finished off his night with six saves while allowing two goals.
Up Next
The Bulls will hit the road in search of a 9-1-0 start on Saturday as they head to Binghamton to take on the Bearcats. First kick is slated for 7:00 pm.
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