Women’s Soccer tie with Toledo in 0-0 stalemate

After scoring late to beat Central Michigan Chippewas (2-5-1, 0-1-0 MAC) 1-0 on Thursday, the Bulls hit a stalemate with the Toledo Rockets in a 0-0 draw Saturday afternoon.

Toledo (5-2-2, 1-0-1 MAC) created three corner kick opportunities early on and had long and controlled offensive possessions, but could not surpass the Bulls’ strong defense which cleared all shots. The Bulls’ senior goalie Lexie Thompson put a quick end to the Rockets’ last corner kick opportunity during the first half’s last 10 seconds.  

Buffalo’s offense did not match the strength of its defense, only generating three shots on goal and no corner kick opportunities. The Bulls had very short possessions, usually consisting of one long ball up the sideline to no avail.

Both teams’ offense became less stagnant in the second half with possessions becoming much less stagnant all around. Toledo improved on its shot total with five shots on goal, as opposed to four in the first. The difference in the Bulls offense was day and night, going from only three shots on goal in the first to generating 11 shots in the second half. 

The Bulls retained offensive possession for a large portion of the half — specifically between the 60 and 70 minute marks. Buffalo practically had possession that entire 10 minute timespan, playing multiple crosses and one-touch passes in for shot opportunities. 

The closest scoring chance on the night for Buffalo came from a crosser to freshman midfielder Emma Patti right in front of the Rockets’ net, but the shot went wide left of the net. 

The Rockets had their closest scoring chances with a high-arcing shot narrowly glancing off the crossbar, along with a one-on-one breakaway opportunity in the 80th minute which Thompson dove in front of to save the goal.

Ultimately, the game ended 0-0 in a hard-fought tie.

The Bulls will be back in action at 1 p.m. Sunday at home against Eastern Michigan for its Alumni game, broadcast live on the Bulls’ Youtube channel.

The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.