Someone finally knocked the Bulls down.
This past weekend, the men's soccer team headed to Ohio to take on the No. 5 nationally-ranked Akron Zips in a game showcasing the best of the Mid-American Conference.
Running with tons of momentum from their nine-game win streak, the Bulls (10-3-3, 2-1-1 MAC) knew that it would be a difficult task to bring that streak into double digits. Well aware that the Zips (11-1-2, 4-0-0 MAC) would be a much bigger challenge than previous opponents, head coach John Astudillo looked to continue playing on the level that earned them the nine straight victories.
However, come the end of the game, Akron was just too strong for Buffalo, defeating the Bulls 2-0.
"I have to say from our end we have to play a little bit better," Astudillo said. "I do have to be mindful of the fact that the boys did a great job defending a very powerful offense."
As for the Bulls offense, the team never quite got on the same page. The Zips defense restricted Buffalo to four shots and one goal.
Astudillo tipped his hat off to the pressure put on by the Akron defense.
"Defensively, they were stifling; they would not let us do anything we needed to do," Astudillo said. "You have to attack them, and we know that. I have to give them loads of credit. They really shut us down."
Astudillo did not use Akron's higher national ranking (fifth) compared to the Bulls' 33rd as an excuse for defeat. Come game time, Astudillo said says he doesn't worry about rankings or what the polls have to say. At the end of the day, the loss is from his team's blunders.
"In the end we just made a lot of mistakes, especially with our passing," Astudillo said. "We recognized that they're a better team, and if we meet them again, we have to do a lot of things better."
Astudillo hopes to play Akron again in the near future. Due to their placement in the national rankings, there is a chance that the two teams may meet in the Great Lakes Region playoffs. If they happen to, Astudillo hopes to prepare his team for the fight that Akron will bring.
"We have to respect what they do best; we never want to play to their strengths," Astudillo said. "We've got to make sure next time we are better prepared."
Though the Bulls were well aware the Zips were a stellar team before the game started, Astudillo did not worry about how good they were. Instead, Astudillo wanted his players to know how physical they were versus their rankings. He wanted them to know how good they were physically, not tangibly in rankings. Most importantly, he wanted his players to understand that Akron is for real.
"If they get into the national championship game, it wouldn't surprise me," Astudillo said. "However, I don't pay attention to rankings, because once a game starts statistics are on the wayside."
After putting the Akron game behind them, the Bulls have two more games in their regular season schedule before they prepare for the playoffs. Buffalo's next game is on Saturday, Nov. 1 against Bowling Green. Game time is 11 a.m.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
