Disappointed, the Bulls returned home Sunday after being unsuccessful in their first two Mid-American Conference games of the season. The women's soccer team failed in its MAC opener against the Miami RedHawks by the count of 3-1 on Friday, and was defeated by the Ball State Cardinals on Sunday.
Miami quickly established themselves on the field, getting a point on the board just two minutes and 30 seconds into the match. The early goal seemed to knock the wind out of the Bulls' sails, as the RedHawks remained ahead for the remainder of the first half.
The Bulls (4-5, 0-2 MAC) did not create much offensive activity in the first half but did cause seven fouls.
"In the first half, we pushed really hard, we were really physical," said head coach Jean-A Tassy. "But we didn't get the breaks that we need to have."
The Bulls entered the second half with fury and quickly notched a goal to tie the game. Freshman Caitlin Higgins scored the goal on a header deep in the box as sophomore Jenessa Banwell provided the assist.
Junior Heidi Griffiths, along with Higgins, provided most of the scoring attempts, tallying two and four shots on goal, respectively.
RedHawks senior Kathleen Vistica was a force to be reckoned with, providing four shots on goal, two goals and one assist.
The RedHawks (4-5-1, 1-1 MAC) answered in the last 22 minutes of the match with a pair of goals and sealed their victory.
"I think we started off really well, but it seems that we are giving up quick goals," Tassy said. "It's tough to give up early goals when you are playing a quality team at their home. That is what happened this weekend. We gave up an early goal and then we had to come back and equalize it. It makes us work twice as hard to save the game. It is a mental lapse that is affecting us right now. We play hard, we compete well, but that is something that we need to build upon for upcoming games"
While both the Bulls and RedHawks had eight shots on goal, the RedHawks were able to capitalize more on their shots.
"It was a game of mistakes," Tassy said. "The team that made the least mistakes was the team that won. We made mistakes and we were penalized."
Sunday, the Bulls again looked to notch their first MAC win, but were defeated for the second time, on this occasion by the Ball State Cardinals, 3-2.
The Bulls found themselves quickly behind once again, as the Cardinals (8-2-1 overall, 2-0 MAC) scored just 51 seconds into the match.
Midway through the half sophomore Ashley Turner tied the game on an unassisted shot ripped from the top of the 18-yard box.
The Cardinals responded shortly after with a pair of goals. However, Buffalo freshman Julie Dale fought right back for the scoring midway through the second half.
"Dale worked hard on top and did a super job for us," Tassy said. "She got us back into the game and helped us equalize the score."
Although the Bulls have repeatedly found themselves down towards the end of their games, they have consistently finished strong and competed till the final whistle.
"I think we need to play for an hour and one half the way we have been playing the last fifteen minutes of our games," Tassy said.
The Bulls were out shot by the Cardinals, 22-5, but the Bulls did make their shots count.
"The stats show that they took 22 shots, but most of the shots were manageable, and were easily handled," Tassy said. "We took our shots and we scored two goals in five shots, that's a great ratio. I think the problem right now is that we are so new and we need to generate our confidence. We need to trust our attack, we need to commit, change the point of the attack and get behind the defense like we have done before."
Tassy and the Bulls felt prepared for the MAC games, but have noticed areas to develop.
"This was not one of our best weekends, but we have things to work on," Tassy said. "I feel that we fell short as a team, and as a coach I think I fell short in the same manner. There are pieces of the puzzle that we can fix. We play hard, we play smart, but we have to get a few people to step up right now. We are such a young team and no one is taking that initiative."
The Bulls look to record their first conference victory of the season when they return home to battle Eastern Michigan this Friday at UB Stadium. The match-up starts at 7 p.m.
