On Sunday night, the men's soccer team traveled to Niagara University looking to keep their seven-game shutout streak intact. Niagara, failing to get the memo, quickly put an end to the Bulls run.
The Bulls (10-2-2, 2-0-0 Mid American-Conference) failed to keep the longest active shutout streak in the nation alive as the Purple Eagles (6-2-2) drew first blood in the game, scoring two goals in the first half.
"I thought we were to blame on that," said head coach John Astudillo. "At the time, we were playing pretty well. I thought we were playing well balanced, but all of a sudden they were working to set [up] plays. Their whole team is a very aggressive team."
Despite going down two goals early, the Bulls got over the shock of being scored on for the first time in 680 minutes and rallied to control play in the second half.
Going into halftime, Astudillo wanted the team to regroup and get ready for the second half.
"You have to make sure you don't play frustrated, that you don't play mad or angry because you're going to make mistakes when you play like that," Astudillo said. "When you play impatiently, you're absolutely going to make mistakes. It's imperative that we stay calm and stay cool and come back with a competitive attitude."
Buffalo answered back with two goals to come away with the tie and remain unbeaten for the eighth straight game. The Bulls have not lost a match since Aug. 14th when they fell to Michigan 2-1.
Levi Tesch scored the Purple Eagles' first goal in the 24th minute. According to Astudillo, the goal was a result of his team not keeping an eye on Purple Eagle players, including Tesch.
Niagara would tack on another goal nearly 20 minutes later when Niagara's leading scorer Matthew Durand knocked in a controversial penalty kick that had the Bulls stunned heading to halftime.
"For us to go down 2-0 before half time was sort of a shocker and a little bit of an eye opener," Astudillo said.
The Bulls, despite being down for the first time in 680 minutes, proved their team strength by not losing focus, leveling the scoreboard in the second half.
"I give the guys a lot of credit for staying tough, staying patient and working hard," Astudillo said. "They took over the game as soon as the second half started. This time it was without any lapses or breaks. I give credit to our kids [because] they hung in there. They weren't frustrated and in the end. It was just unlucky for us to not score again."
Bulls senior defensemen Dan Gwyther scored Buffalo's first goal of the game in the 59th minute with assists from junior forward Dan Bulley and senior midfielder Martin John. The goal was Gwyther's fourth of the season.
With the game nearing the end of regulation, Bulls sophomore midfielder Rich Wilson tallied his second goal of the season, tying the game in the 81st minute.
Buffalo and the Purple Eagles battled for the rest of the second half and for two periods of overtime, but neither team scored. The Bulls outshot Niagara 7-1 during overtime and 25-14 overall.
The Bulls will return home Friday for their Senior Night matchup against the Northern Illinois Huskies, the sixth-ranked team in the Great Lakes Region. Game time is 7 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
