Sunday's road game against Boston University (3-5-1) proved another impressive win for the UB men's soccer team (10-1-0), as the Bulls left the Terriers scoreless and became the nation's first team this season to earn ten wins.
Head coach John Astudillo said although the Bulls were victorious against Boston, both teams played a strong game and the Terriers had their chances to grasp the win.
"It was a really intense game, a great game," Astudillo said. "We had two passionate teams trying to get a win and the results favored us, but it could have very well gone the other way."
Both teams exerted a lot of energy and forceful defense in their struggles for the lead. While the Bulls have one of the lowest yellow-card rates in the Mid-American Conference, the number of penalties made at Sunday's game was an exception.
"In this one game we probably matched the number of yellow cards we got in the entire season. It's not that we were too aggressive or that they were too aggressive, but there were a lot of hard tackles," Astudillo said. "The referee got a little bit touchy, which was good, but everything went well. It just shows how intense the game really was."
The players' ongoing energy intensified midway through the first half as the Bulls scored the game's first goal at the 20:22 mark.
Playing off a timely assist from junior Erik Jaanimagi, junior Andrae Clarke broke into a sprint down the field, leaving his defenders struggling to catch up. The Terriers' defense wasn't fast enough and Clarke reached the goal with a hot foot, sending the ball into the upper-left corner and putting the Bulls ahead, 1-0.
The Bulls' defense remained tight for the rest of the first half. The Terriers were only allowed four shots on goal, but Astudillo said the shots were close.
"(Boston) got behind us very dangerously at least three times, maybe even four," Astudillo said. "We got lucky as a fellow misfired. He fired too wide. Still, they had their chances."
But the Terriers' chance at capturing the win soon went out of reach as Clarke scored the Bulls' second goal midway into the second half. As both teams battled at the goal line for possession of the ball, UB's senior Matt Stuczynski and sophomore Lee Catchpole each missed attempted shots. The two kept their composure and only seconds later delivered a double-assist to Clarke for the win.
"It's great to watch Andrae Clark and Lee Catchpole really help each other out," Astudillo said. "They put so much into their defense; (they) isolate the other guy one-versus-one, creating great scoring opportunities for the others."
Clarke's combined three goals and one assist from his past two games have earned him the title of MAC Player of the Week.
UB's junior goalkeeper Daniel Bell also had a strong outing during Sunday's victory, earning him his fifth shutout of the season. Bell also ranks second for total wins in his career, as well as total wins in a season.
"He was huge. He kept us in the game," said Astudillo. "All of a sudden, about midway into the second half, Boston started attacking through the air, and (Bell's) air defense was big, stopping any dangerous plays and gobbling up high balls. He did a great job."
With all the team's success accompanied by a current national rank of 29 from collegesoccernews.com, Astudillo said he's more interested in focusing on what comes next rather than relying on accolades. He said the Bulls are under a good amount of pressure and they still have some improving to do for their next five games in the MAC.
"There has to be a combination of fitness, tactics, mental preparation and also emotional preparation," Astudillo said. "We can't underestimate how the team must be committed to defense. That's a key basic to playing teams like Boston and Akron. If you don't play good defense, you're not going to win games."
The Bulls' first MAC game will be at UB Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. against Akron, a team ranked second in the nation. Astudillo said even though Sunday's game proved to be a success, the Zips will be a real test.
"I think in the end if Akron beats Indiana, who is number one in the nation, Akron could become number one in the nation," Astudillo said. "We have to match everything they do with as much speed as we can muster. They attack first with speed and second with numbers. We have to really attack if we want to win."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
