Game 1
Pfeffer's game winner sparks Bulls victory
Co-captain Elizabeth Pfeffer scored the game-winning goal unassisted with 4:32 left to propel the Bulls to a 2-1 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies.
Pfeffer, with superior footwork, dribbled down the field pass several Huskie players and shot the uncontested shot to the far right post. Her goal saved the game from what looked to be a certain overtime period.
"I just dribbled around a couple of girls, got stuck in the water but kept going and shot it as hard as I could," explained Pfeffer.
The chilly, wet conditions Friday night made it very difficult for either team to really get offense going in the game.
"We have to learn how to play in these conditions were given," said Coach Jean-A. Tassy.
UB's Lauren West broke a scoreless tie at the 68:02 mark of the second half. West got the ball from senior Paula Sinclair, who rifled a shot just under the crossbar over the head of NIU goalkeeper Katy Boll.
"I saw that the girl that was marking me wasn't always aware of where I was, so I got the ball with my right foot and I chopped it to my left foot in front of her and I saw the goalkeeper wasn't set so I just shot it," explained West.
The Huskies lone goal came at the 75:28 mark. UB goalkeeper Emily Cox made the initial save but could not hold on to it, giving NIU's Denise Papke a second chance on an open net. The Huskies Katie Klaas picked up the assist on the goal.
NIU, who has been plagued by injuries this year, dropped to 1-8-1 overall, 1-5-0 MAC.
Game 2
Sinclair Powers Bulls to Top of the MAC on Senior Day
Sunday was senior Paula Sinclair's day in more than just name.
Sinclair scored two of Buffalo's three goals to help her team to a 3-1 victory over UB's MAC foe, the Western Michigan Broncos.
For a while it was in doubt whether Sinclair would even get the chance to play. Due to inclement weather, the game was forced to relocate to UB's practice field next to Spaulding Lake and the 30-40 mph winds.
Before the game Sinclair, the team's only senior, was honored in for her four years of service to the women's soccer team. She came to mid-field with her parents and received flowers and gifts from her teammates and coaches.
Sunday marked her last regular season MAC home game.
"The ceremony pumped me up and I wanted to go out and play hard for my team," said Sinclar.
Right from the jump Sinclair put her mark on the game. With a great pass from Nicole Olszewski, Sinclair put her team on top of the Broncos.
"Nikki [Olszewski] gave me her first shot. She should have taken the shot but she passed it across to me and I shot it," said Sinclair.
The Broncos, battling the Bulls for the top spot in the MAC, responded with a goal at the 14:33 mark. Midfielder Sara Cultra side-tapped a ball passed Emily Cox. The Broncos' Megan Urbats picked up the assist.
After sitting on the bench for a good part of the game, sophomore standout Nicole Olszewski got in and earned herself a penalty shot at the 56:10 mark. Olszewski effortlessly kicked the ball past Bronco Megan Ramey.
Olszewski, who has been in a scoring slump since being Player of the Week recently, finally emerged it with a goal and an assist on the day.
"It's just a mental game with me right now and today I just played really hard," said Olszewski.
Sinclair returned late in the game and scored one more goal at the 83:15 mark. Lindsay Szafranski was credited with the assist.
"Lindsay made a great pass to me, I chipped the ball and it went in," explained Sinclair.
This year Sinclair has 14 points, an explosive earning in comparison to the two goals she earned in her last 3 seasons.
"I'm enjoying myself and having a good time. I'm playing the way I want to play with no worries," said Sinclair.
Although the Bulls were only up one into the late stages of the game, the score was not indicative of their dominant performance. Western Michigan was unable to sustain any offensive pressure and played sub-par defense.
"The one thing that hurt us the most was that we got killed in the midfield in the second half," said Western Michigan Coach Mike Haines.
"This win brings us one step closer to hosting the MAC Tournament. For these next few games we're going to play hard and take no team lightly," said UB co-captain Megan Hosey.
The Bulls (7-5 overall, 6-2 MAC) are on a three-game winning streak and are now in first place in the MAC.
"We needed those games this weekend because our next five games will be difficult ones on the road," remarked Coach Tassy.
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