"After big win, first loss"

All good things must come to an end, and for the UB men's soccer team, an end came on Sunday.

Riding an eight-game winning streak to open the season, the Bulls were handed their first defeat Sunday afternoon as they fell 1-0 to St. Francis (Penn.) in front of a home crowd at UB Stadium.

Prior to Sunday's loss, the Bulls (8-1, overall) pulled out an impressive, close victory on the road against one of its toughest opponents so far this season, Colgate University.

UB pushed firmly to produce goals in the first half of its game against the Colgate Raiders (3-2-2), with both teams' defenses scrambling to net the first ball. After almost an entire half of ferocious play, Colgate's Bryant Meckley scored the first goal with nearly ten minutes remaining, putting the score at 1-0.

Although the Bulls hadn't scored the first goal in only two other games this season, they were determined to not let that goal be the last of the match.

Both teams came into the second half with increased speed and endurance. The game was a physical match throughout, reaching its conclusion with a whopping twenty fouls.

"We focused on getting the ball out wide and up-front to the forwards, and just attacking down the flanks and getting the ball in the mix," said assistant coach David Hesch.

With nearly 16 minutes remaining on the clock, Colgate was called for a handball in the box and sophomore Lee Catchpole took the penalty kick. Catchpole fired a red-hot ball into the net's lower right corner, burning up Colgate's lead and bringing the game to a 1-1 tie.

Now competing neck-and-neck, both teams upped their performances one more notch, each generating six more shots on goal.

The Bulls consistent physical endurance proved enough to rocket them into the lead. With only minutes left, junior Brian Knapp broke through two defenders and executed a crisp pass to junior Andrae Clarke, who then skillfully lured Colgate's goalie out of the net to send in the game-winning ball.

"We stuck together as a team and stuck with the game plan," Hesch said. "We ran Colgate down and got the victory."

On Sunday, the Bulls once again gave up the first goal of the contest but lacked the second-half resilience displayed in Friday's game, losing 1-0 to St. Francis (Penn.)

"Coming into Sunday's game, we knew St. Francis was a tough team," Hesch said. "We took it to them last year so we knew it was going to be tough on our home field."

The game's only goal came early as St. Francis's Donnie Montoya sent a header into the net at the 7:08 mark.

The Bulls entered the second half with no points and with less hustle.

"The team looked drained, obviously from Friday's game," Catchpole said. "A lot of teams have tough games, and we just weren't on the same page today."

St. Francis's tight defense proved too much for the Bulls' tired-yet-still-determined offense. UB out-shot the Red Flash 13-8 on the day, but was unable to finish. Each goaltender earned five saves while junior Dan Bell was scored on for only the sixth time this season. As a result of the low-scoring battle, both teams escalated their physical play, combining for a total of 26 fouls.

"There were a lot of heavy injuries and we're working through a lot of heavy legs," Hesch said. "We didn't play our game, we played flat."

Although the Bulls are no longer undefeated, they still carry a winner's attitude.

"We're a team. We've got to go on and make sure this is the only loss we have," Catchpole said.

The Bulls' next game will be at home against Canisius on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a trip to Boston University on Sunday for a 2 p.m. game.