Bulls stampede home

For a school that supposedly doesn't have any spirit, homecoming weekend is a strange exercise.

Blue and white banners and signs are streamed across the school, parents visit campus in droves, a car is smashed in front of the Student Union amid wing-eating contests and homecoming royalty parades.

Yet last year, despite all the Buffalo hurrah, only 7,000 people showed up at the football game in a stadium that seats 30,000. UB often seems to be the caped crusader of Division I during the fall: Bulls fanatic by week, non-fan by weekend.

There are flyers everywhere touting Saturday's football game pitting UB against the Akron Zips (see Gametime insert on page 7), but that's not the only big-time homecoming this weekend. For the spiritless and non-sports-inclined, there are quite a few surprises to be had both on and off the football field. As little success as football has had this year, there is reason to get excited for homecoming.

Friday sees UB's only ranked team take on another nationally ranked power in men's soccer, and there's a potential comeback story for women's soccer. The resilient volleyball team also returns home after a long road stretch and both cross country teams hope to build on successful individual racing, showcasing their best runners for the first time at home.

For a school that supposedly has no spirit, it's a good weekend to be a Bull.

Men's Soccer

Friday 7 p.m., UB Stadium

When the Bulls take the field on Friday night, they will be heading into one of the biggest games in the history of UB athletics.

The men's soccer team, ranked 20th in the nation, will play host Mid-American Conference opponent Akron Zips, currently ranked 2nd in the nation. This game also marks the opening MAC game for both teams as they sit on top of the conference.

The Bulls are led by sophomore sensation Lee Catchpole and junior Andrae Clarke. Catchpole leads the team and is tied for the MAC lead with eight goals. Catchpole is tied for second in the MAC with his 20 points on the season. Clark leads the nation with 10 assists and is ranked number one on the Bulls in points with 24. Clarke has tallied a point in nine of the team's first 11 games and is averaging 2.18 points per game.

This game should be the biggest test left for both of these teams, as the game is a battle for MAC supremacy and the number one seed in the MAC tournament. A rumor has spread through the UB athletic department that Akron intends to bring buses of students to the game to usurp UB's home-field advantage.

Women's Soccer

Friday 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m., UB Stadium

It's up to the women's soccer team to kick off homecoming weekend as it faces the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday at 4 p.m. The Bulls will be doing double duty this weekend, as they also host the Northern Illinois Huskies on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

UB (3-7-1, 1-3 MAC) looks to put an end to a two-game losing streak and bounce back from possibly devastating loss of key player Natalia Crofut, out for the season from an ACL injury. Crofut was leading the team in every offensive category before the injury.

The Broncos are in first place in the MAC and are riding a five-game winning streak. They boast an overall record of 6-5-1, 4-0 MAC.

Karen Enocksen, who has four goals and eight points, leads The Huskies of Northern Illinois (4-5-2, 2-2 MAC). Northern Illinois and UB are close in standings, producing the possibility for a good game with the potential post-season influence looming in the distance.

Volleyball

Friday 6 p.m. and Saturday 6 p.m., Alumni Arena

The Bulls head home to Alumni Arena for the first time since Sept. 13. After a long stretch of eight road games, the team can settle in with four of its next five games at home.

This group of contests begins with two home games this weekend, Friday against Miami (Ohio) and Saturday against Bowling Green. The Bulls (8-9, 0-4 MAC) look to gain their first MAC win after breaking their four-game losing streak Wednesday night at Canisius.

The Bulls are led by senior Amy Brown who has recorded a double-double in seven of the team's last eight games. Brown has recorded 753 assists this season.

Miami (9-6, 2-2 MAC) is led by Carli Reihman, who has tallied 192 kills on the season. Miami freshman Emily Schroeder was named MAC Volleyball East Division player of the week this past week.

On Saturday, Bowling Green will come to town for UB's second game in two days. Bowling Green, with a record of 7-8, 1-3 MAC, is led by Meghan Mohr, who has 127 kills on the season.

Cross Country

Saturday 11 a.m., Beaver Island State Park

The men's and women's cross country teams will compete on Saturday as the Bulls host the UB Open. Though there has been individual success for both teams, they have failed to win a meet so far this season, with the women coming the closest when they finished second at the Central Collegiate meet. The women also defeated Akron in a head-to-head match.

At Lehigh University's Paul Short Invitational, men's runner Dan McKenna finished 17th out of a total of 299 runners and earned the MAC men's runner of the week honor.

For the women, Jen Jezorski finished third out of 79 overall, helping the team finish second out of nine teams.

The men and women will both be looking to build upon their success in the Lehigh Paul Short Invite.