Youth was served on Monday night as the women's soccer team kicked off its season with a victory.
The Bulls shut out local-rival Niagara, 1-0, in front of 583 fans on Niagara's home turf behind a goal by sophomore Lindsey Bailey. In the 12th minute of the game, Bailey scored on a shot to the far post. Freshman Aubrey Stahl was credited with the assist in her first collegiate performance.
"Lindsey is a huge contributor," head coach Michael Thomas said. "She has got some incredible pace and she's been finishing very well this fall. She is consistently putting the ball in the back of the net and we are really excited to see what she can do this season."
Bailey and Stahl had a combined total of six attempted shots, while Bailey ended the game with a game-high record of four shots, three of which were on net.
Thomas had only good things to say about one of the newest members of his team.
"Stahl had a great game as a freshman," he said. "She's done a good job of adjusting to the physicality of the college game. She was consistently dangerous with the ball and getting her teammates involved."
Niagara gave Buffalo a good run, although the Purple Eagles were no match for the Bulls back line which includes seniors Courtney MacVie and Nicky Wilson, junior Jennifer Mihok and freshman Lauren Crawford.
"Both teams were well prepared and played hard and it was a very even game and we had some players come up big when they needed to come up big so we got to come out with a very positive result for the program and for the school," Thomas said.
Niagara and Buffalo battled back and forth, ending with the Purple Eagles out shooting the Bulls 9-8. However, senior Bulls goalkeeper Amy Coron seemed to be impassable as Niagara was unable to get a shot in the net. Coron denied 9 shots from entering the goal, including two big saves late in the second half, which helped to preserve the win. The victory is her ninth shut out of her career.
This is Thomas' first year as the head coach for the women's soccer program and with one win already under his belt is confident in his squad as the season gets underway.
"I think we played some really good soccer and we generated enough chances," Thomas said. "Nonetheless, I think that we need to be able to score more goals and we need to get a little more efficient with our finishing in front of the goal."
As the Bulls head deeper into the season, Thomas feels that the victory is a great first lesson for the girls to use on the field.
"It's always nice to get a win against a local school," he said. "It's a great first step and it gives us some momentum to build on. Hopefully we can learn some lessons from the game and take some positives from it and use them as a spring board for the rest of the season."
After taking a few days off, the Bulls head on a road trip to the sunshine state of Florida. On Friday night, the team will begin by clashing against Florida Gulf Coast. Kickoff begins at 7:00 p.m.
