The women's soccer team finally stopped their five-game losing streak after a tie with Eastern Michigan on Friday.
Their reward? Facing the Mid-American Conference (MAC) leading Central Michigan Chippewas Sunday afternoon.
Despite being outshot 25-8 in the game, Buffalo (4-5-4, 0-4-2 MAC) hung in with Central Michigan (10-2-1, 5-0-1 MAC), forcing a 2-2 tie.
It's been a season of streaks for the Bulls. After winning their first four games, Buffalo tied two straight. They then proceeded to lose five straight, and tied their two most recent games.
The first half started slow for both teams. Despite being outshot 7-2 in the half, Buffalo prevented the Chippewas from scoring, resulting in a 0-0 score heading into halftime.
Central Michigan finally broke through in the second half as forward Amanda Waugh shot a ball into the corner of the net past Bulls senior goaltender Amy Coron. The goal gave the Chippewas a 1-0 lead 65 minutes into the game.
Buffalo, however, was able to answer back instantly. Freshman forward Deanna Rowe scored her first goal of the season, beating the Chippewa defense and putting the ball in the net. The goal occurred 45 seconds after Central Michigan's first got on the board.
Both teams would battle for about 15 minutes, neither team getting the elusive second goal.
Eventually, Central Michigan took the lead when defenseman Kristen Pelkki got a header past Coron. The goal gave the Chippewas a 2-1 lead with only nine minutes left in regulation.
But the Bulls refused to lose. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Bailey, continuing to add onto a standout season, came through in the clutch when she shot a ball past Chippewas goaltender Shay Mannino to tie the game in the 88th minute. It was her team-high seventh goal.
Both teams looked to capture the win in overtime. The Bulls and Chippewas each had one shot in the first overtime, but were unable to seal the victory.
More of the same occurred in the second overtime. Central Michigan got three shots off, but none of them were on goal. Buffalo got a shot on goal, but Mannino was able to save it and end the game in a tie.
The Bulls' defense was put to the test all game. Coron saved 12 shots, helped by solid defensive efforts from Bailey and senior defenseman, Courtney MacVie.
In a press release, Chippewas assistant coach Tom Anagnost said he saw some things his team usually does not do but was impressed with their performance nonetheless.
"We made a couple uncharacteristic mistakes when we took the lead," he said. "I was happy that we continued attacking Buffalo in the overtime instead of trying to play for a draw."
The Bulls look to extend their two-game undefeated streak when they face the Northern Illinois Huskies Friday at UB Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
