Junior forward Dan Bulley has another Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship game on his mind.
Determined to lead his team to a second-straight Championship appearance, Bulley finished with a hat trick and led the Bulls (12-3-4, 4-1-2 MAC) to a 6-0 win over the Owls (5-13-1, 1-5-1 MAC) in a MAC Quarterfinal matchup. The shutout marked the 10th time this season Buffalo has held a team scoreless.
Bulley scored the two first half goals for the Bulls, including one in the first five minutes to set the tone for the blowout. Bulley fired a shot from 25-yards out past Owls goalkeeper Phillip Lamarre to give the Bulls an early advantage.
Six minutes later, Bulley doubled his goal total on the day. On a penalty kick, he deflected the ball past Lamarre, putting the Bulls up 2-0. This lead would hold for the rest of the first half.
Bulley achieved the hat trick 13 minutes into the second half when he took a shot that landed in the net from 35 yards out.
The Bulls would add three more goals to keep the Owls out of the game. Junior defender Steffan Thoresen took a throw-in from sophomore midfielder Justin Fredsell and headed it into the back of the net.
A duo of freshmen continued the scoring streak for the Bulls. Freshman midfielder Rich Wilson sailed a shot over Lamarre from six yards out to increase the lead to five. Freshman Lucas Bassan then sealed the game with breakaway goal that pushed the lead to 6-0.
It was Bulley's early goals that provided the Bulls with the momentum that carried throughout the game. Buffalo head coach John Astudillo was quite impressed with Bulley's performance Thursday afternoon.
"He was on today," he said. "He was going at 100 miles-per-hour today, and that's what he need him to do. He created his own opportunities, and more important, he finished them."
The win means the Bulls advance to the MAC Semifinals, where they will take on Northern Illinois (10-5-4, 5-1-1 MAC) today. Earlier this season, the Bulls and Huskies tied 1-1 at UB Stadium.
Astudillo is anticipating a tough battle, the winner reaching the MAC Finals against either Akron, Hartwick or Western Michigan.
"Northern Illinois-Buffalo matches are always battles," Astudillo said. "They are a good team and are quite determined. We have to be ready for them. They have great height and size, and we will have to overcome those factors."
The game starts at 5 p.m. at Akron's Lee Jackson Field.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
