Head coach John Astudillo's men's soccer team finished the 2002 season by losing in the MAC quarterfinals to Kent State by a score of 4-1.
But with a 6-9-1 record (3-3 MAC), the Bulls found a bright spot in recognizing Geoff Thompson, who has since graduated UB.
Thompson was able to net seven goals last year, the most for UB since 1999. He also led the team with 14 points overall. He ended his career tied for 18th in career goals with 10.
Mike Peplinski, who also was a senior last season, was named the team Most Valuable Player, with four goals and six assists including two game winning goals and two penalty shot goals. Peplinski capped it off by being named to the NSCAA All-New York Region First Team. Both Peplinski and Thompson were named to the All-MAC soccer team.
The last of the "Big 3," goalkeeper Brian Wozniak, will also be sorely missed as he was a major contributor to Buffalo tying Akron for fewest goals allowed in the conference with 26, although Akron played three more games.
Dave Pidgeon, who was third in scoring, will become a senior, along with four others, including goalkeeper Chris Vavrina, who in 308:16 of play allowed only three goals. There will also be six juniors on the team next year, giving the Bulls a total of 10 upperclassmen who will be available to play next year. They will need to step into the spotlight if they want to keep the team competitive.
Akron won the MAC conference tournament and also was the regular season leader with a 4-1-0 Conference record along with a 9-7-3 overall record. Buffalo finished fourth behind Bowling Green (6-13-0, 4-1-0 MAC) and Marshall (7-9-2, 3-3-0 MAC).
