Inter-conference matches add to the thrill of any sports venue. The excitement and intensity of battling familiar foes give sports their celebrated rivalries, and women's soccer is no exception.
Kicking off this Friday and lasting to the end of the regular season, Buffalo will begin battling their conference competitors. Some adversaries will prove more challenging than others, but one thing is for certain - a solid conference record is a must for strong playoff contention.
Buffalo head coach Jean-A Tassy has been rigorously preparing his players from the beginning of the season, readying them for the Mid-American Conference's tough play.
"We have prepared our players since early season. It's an opportunity to put the pieces together," Tassy said. "I think the MAC is a little more physical and the pace of the games are faster. In non-conference matches we have played against big physical opponents like Maine and the MAC conference teams are similar to that."
Beginning with a trip to Akron, the Bulls hope to start their MAC schedule on a positive note. The Akron Zips currently sit atop the conference standings with a record of 5-1-2 and are coming off of their first loss of the season to the University of Wyoming. While Akron possesses the best overall record, Tassy feels his team is more than capable of knocking off the top-ranked Zips.
"They have a track record of beefing up their record before conference play," Tassy said. "Certain coaches have different philosophies, some coaches have played weaker opponents."
While the Zips pre-conference schedule may not have had the same level of competition, their close 2-1 loss at the hands of the Bulls last year may leave the Zips with thoughts of revenge and they are not to be underestimated.
"We need to be disciplined in our approach to attacking and our approach on defense," Tassy said. "We need to possess the ball and cut down on our give away take away mistakes."
The Bulls also need to look out for the Zips' points leader, Britni Back. She currently leads the team in goals and assists, and will be a challenge for the Bulls defense to slow down after getting off to such a hot start.
While the Buffalo defense will have their hands full with Back, Tassy feels the Bulls hold an edge playing in Akron that he hopes his players can exploit.
"They play on a wide field and that plays to our advantage," Tassy said. "Their players are pretty big and we have to manage that well. We have some speed and that can exploit their wide field."
Akron is of course only the beginning of the Bulls' competition this year. They will face each of their conference foes once. While each match is important, some games hold more significance than others.
"We've had some great rivalries against Miami of Ohio," Tassy said. "We've had some good rivalries from most of the teams, any given weekend any team can knock off any other team, but Miami of Ohio has been kind of our nemesis."
Miami University, not to be confused with the University of Miami, Florida, has had their share of early season woes. Coming off their second win of the season last week at Xavier, the Red Hawks display a record of 2-3-2, similar to that of the Bulls' 3-4-1. Last year the Bulls fell to the Red Hawks by a score of 3-1. This year however, the Bulls hope to reverse their fortunes against their close rival. This year they host Miami at UB Stadium on October 28.
The Bulls continue to prepare themselves to face their conference rivals this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Akron, OH. As they do so, they must also prepare for the increased energy that will be a part of the MAC conference games. Either way, it's clear that the Bulls' season competition is just heating up.
