Leaving the crowd unsure if the Bulls' leading scorer would see anytime in post season play, head coach John Astudillo proved he has a flare for the dramatic as he chose not to start the sophomore but then entered him just over a minute after the opening whistle.
Catchpole suffered a broken cheekbone in an October 14 win over Bowling Green. He was unable to play for the remainder of the regular season and entered the post season with doubts that he would be able to suit up for the Mid-American Conference tournament.
"It's good to be back with the team," said Catchpole. "It has been a long and tough road back."
Recovered from a mid-season injury of his own, sophomore Shyle Braithwaite had a close call as he took a shot on goal that hit the outside left-corner of the net, fooling the audience and sending through the bleachers a spoken-to-soon "Woohaa!"
Braithwaite attacked the ball with consistent hustle and eventually scored the Bulls' first goal. Assisted by junior Andrae Clark and Catchpole, Braithwaite fired the ball from 15 yards into the net, bringing the Bulls to a 1-0 lead.
Astudillo said despite the team's many injuries, the players' abilities continued to produce impressive results.
"We came out really strong," Astudillo said. "In the beginning of the game, we went on attack immediately and pressured from the start. We eventually broke them down."
The Mastodons continued to crack under the Bulls' pressure as senior Greg Galemore scored the team's second goal with 9:44 left in the half. After a calamity at the goal line, with no one able to gain complete control of the ball, Galemore saw his opportunity and strategically placed the ball past the goalie and into the net.
Braithwaite earned his second goal of the game just minutes later at the 2:33 mark, manipulating a brisk pass from junior Sola Abolaji.
Catchpole said once the team sunk its teeth into IPFW, it just couldn't get enough, leaving the Bulls feigning for more goals.
"We came out in the first half and they gave the ball up as we got on top of them," Catchpole said. "When we got the first goal, we could sense there was more to come after that."
The first half ended with Buffalo taking six shots on goal as compared to IPFW's two shots.
The Mastodon's entered the second half down by three and desperately trying to gain ground on a dominant Bulls' lead. IPFW became visibly frustrated during the last ten minutes of play as the team committed numerous fouls, including a yellow card for inappropriate play.
Freshman Marc Stencel put the nail in the coffin for the Bulls as he scored the game's fourth and final goal. Assisted by sophomore Chris Allen, Stencel, who missed five games because of mono, sent the ball rolling steadily into the net from the 55-yard line with IPFW's goalie still stranded at mid-field.
"It felt pretty exciting to be in the game," said Stencel. "Everyone was working hard together it didn't matter how we won."
The Bulls look forward to challenging their next opponent of the MAC tournament at Northern Illinois this Friday.
The Bulls were defeated by the Huskies, 1-0 in a must-win final game of the regular season. Astudillo said the team is looking forward to washing the taste of deafeat out of its mouth.
"In sports, when you get beaten by a team you want a second chance," said Astudillo. "This is definitely a great opportunity to do that."
The Bulls will travel to Akron for a Friday game against Northern Illinois. The time of the game has not been announced.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
