On Friday night, Buffalo headed into their game against Western Michigan thinking that six was their lucky number.
When all was said and done, seven was heaven.
The Bulls (10-2-1, 2-0-0 Mid-American Conference) kept their shutout streak alive in a 4-0 rout of the Western Michigan Broncos, extending their shutout streak to seven straight games, tying a MAC record set by Northern Illinois in 2005. It has been 656 total minutes since the Bulls have let in a goal, second in the nation behind Northwestern's 757 minutes.
From the start of the match the Bulls controlled the play, the Broncos (2-8-1, 1-1-0 MAC) spending most of the game trying to catch up.
With 16:30 left in the first half, the Bulls took an early 1-0 lead after a somewhat lucky bounce: a pass deflected off the foot of Broncos defender Doug Raak and trickled into the net, crediting the Bulls with an own goal by Western Michigan.
"You take them when they come," said head coach John Astudillo. "At that time it was unfortunate for them but it was a good shot for us. I think on that one we got lucky."
Shortly after, Buffalo scored again, as junior Mateo Escobar netted his second goal of the season on a shot that bounced over slow-moving Broncos goalkeeper Paul Lewis. Sophomore Rich Wilson passed the ball to Escobar, recording his second assist of the year.
After the second goal, Western Michigan looked completely deflated. Their offense appeared to give up against the strong Buffalo defense, which included a back four that didn't allow a shot the entire game.
Astudillo felt that Buffalo dominated the entire first half in all areas of play. They out-shot the Broncos 9-0 in the first half, tallying two goals.
"There weren't too many hiccups today at all," Astudillo said. "I thought the defense was tight and even in the midfield. I thought out central midfielders did a great job of picking up and filling in. I think the defense right now is playing solidly."
The Bulls continued to take advantage of the sluggish Broncos, netting two more goals in the second half. The first came off a shot from senior forward Marc Stecel, giving the Bulls a 3-0 lead.
With Western Michigan trying to catch up, freshman forward Lussac Bassan got away from the Broncos defensive unit on a breakaway and buried one from 10 yards out. From that point on, Buffalo went into cruise control, playing keep-away for the rest of the half.
The Bulls managed a total of 13 shots in the second half to Western Michigan's one, the lone shot a free kick that was blocked. The Bulls out-shot the Broncos 22-1 in the game.
Buffalo senior goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth recorded his seventh shutout of the season without ever having to make a save.
"I think we're sort of motivated in different directions," Astudillo said. "To me, it's more important to win. To them, they are proud of what they do. They take pride in their shutouts and I don't want to get in their way. I encourage the shutouts but more important to me is to win."
The Bulls' win over Western Michigan has solidified their first-place ranking in the MAC. They have also been ranked ninth nationally in the Great Lakes Region.
See Wednesday's issue of The Spectrum for coverage on Sunday's game against Niagara.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
