Bulls on a roll

The men's soccer team went on the road to St. Bonaventure Friday night riding a three game win streak, looking to extend it to four games.

The Bulls did not take long to get on the scoreboard. Just over 20 minutes into the game, Steffen Thoresen netted his first goal of the season, heading in a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Alex Marrello.

However, the lead would not last long. St. Bonaventure's Samuel Maheu put his own rebound past junior goalkeeper Robert Shuttleworth to tie the game in the 38th minute. This was the first goal that Shuttleworth has given up since their 1-0 losing effort against Fairfield in the first game of the season.

The game remained tied for the rest of regulation, as both teams seemed poised to go to overtime. Both teams were even in shots, with 11 each following regulation.

The advantage seemed to sway toward the Bulls during the extra period. It was their second overtime match of the season, and the Bulls came out with energy that didn't surprise head coach John Astudillo.

"I think that is one place where there is esteemed confidence." Astudillo said.

It didn't take more than two shots for junior defenseman Dan Gwyther to net the game-winning goal, scoring in the 100th minute of the game. With another low-scoring affair, Astudillo continued to be impressed with the efforts of Shuttleworth to keep opponents off the scoreboard he also credited the defense.

"He truly has been the backbone, but also that back four core has been rock solid," Astudillo said.

With victory in hand, the Bulls headed home with four straight wins, hoping to keep the winning streak alive.

Buffalo returned to action Sunday to take on Cornell at UB Stadium. Little did the Bulls know, they would find themselves playing beyond the 90-minute mark again.

The Bulls came out slowly and gave up a goal in the 24th minute to Matt Bouraee. Bouraee made his goal look easy as he walked around Shuttleworth and, putting the ball it in the back of the net.

Buffalo found themselves trailing for the first time since their 2-0 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 2.

Just when it looked like their efforts were not going to be rewarded Dominic Oppong chipped one in with only 57 seconds left in the match, sending the Bulls to their second straight overtime and their third in four games. But sudden death does not seem to faze this Bulls team as they have been in the position before.

The Bulls were out-shot 6-3 in the first half, but held the edge in the second half, 5-4, showing their endurance once again.

"It's more, I think, out of the fact that in the second half we seem to be stronger and stronger, I think the guys know that it's just a matter of time," Astudillo said. "If given a little more time, it should be in our favor."

A little more time is all they would need, as junior midfielder Martin John headed in a corner kick assisted from Gwyther and Morrello. The goal came on their second overtime shot, during the 93rd minute of the match. The victory gave the Bulls their fifth straight win.

Astudillo feels that his team has the ability to wear down its opponents, so a longer game favors the Bulls.

"I think one of the things we're concentrating on is getting some healthier bodies back on the field," Astudillo said. "The people who have been on the field have preformed."

Buffalo has played close games all season, with the margin of victory never larger than two. Astudillo was glad to pull out tough victories in two overtime games in a row.

"Even in the few games that we lost, we were within one touch from winning both games," Astudillo said. "It's a funny game we play."

The Bulls go on the road for two matches this weekend. They play at Bucknell at 5 p.m. on Friday and at Detroit at 1 p.m. on Sunday.