The UB Women's Soccer (7-2-1, 3-1-0 MAC) team defeated the Ball State Cardinals (4-4-2, 1-2-1 MAC) 2-1 Thursday night at UB Stadium. On Sunday the Bulls traveled to Ohio to take on the Kent State Golden Eagles (4-4-3, 2-2 MAC), scraping by 1-0. These wins extended the Bulls’ win streak to 3.
Against Ball State, the game started with Buffalo in control. The Bulls had the majority of the possession and four shots in the first 15 minutes of the game, with Ball State pressing high. When the Cardinals had the ball, the Bulls pressed relentlessly, hoping to force a mistake deep in Cardinal territory. That mistake came in the 14th minute when sophomore forward Carolyn Hinkle cleared a ball in the direction of freshman forward Maddy Murphy. A challenge by aBall State defender allowed Murphy to glide the ball into the box and cut it across the face of goal for fifth-year forward Jasmine Guerber to be met with a strike that bounced from the crossbar into the net to make it 1-0.
In the 33rd minute, freshman midfielder Adriana Victoriano picked up the ball on the left sideline 40 yards out. Victoriano went on to sit down a defender and dashed into the penalty area, where she was met by another Cardinal. A dazzling display of skill allowed Victoriano to cut inside and launch the ball into the top of the goal to double the Bulls’ lead, 2-0. Ball State went on to score one of their own, but it wasn't enough as the Bulls kept the score 2-1 to end the game.
The team then made the trek to Zoeller Field in Kent, Ohio to take on the Golden Eagles on Sunday. The game started slow, with both teams locked in a defensive battle. UB struggled to get shots off early with only two shots in the first half compared to the Golden Flashes four. Early in the second half, Hinkle carried the ball into Kent State territory and got it to Guerber who launched the ball into the bottom corner of the net to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead. The rest of the half was a defensive masterpiece from the Bulls who allowed zero shots in the second half to win the game.
The Bulls hope to add on to the win streak when they welcome the University of Akron to UB Stadium on Thursday, October 2nd at 6 p.m.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
