Not letting a tie keep them down, Buffalo went one step further in the Penn Tournament, besting the Temple Owls 1-0 in non-conference play on Sunday. The Bulls (5-2-0) and Penn played to a scoreless tie two days prior in the first round of the tournament, while Temple (3-3-0) defeated Mercer 2-0.
The game was highlighted by a game-breaking performance by junior goalkeeper Robert Shuttleworth. Shuttleworth stopped four shots overall and made three key saves in the second half. He has now gone 296 minutes without allowing a goal.
Head coach John Astudillo was extremely pleased with the performance of his net-minder.
"Bobby kept us in the game," Astudillo said. "You really hope your Division-I goalie can step up like that when you need him. He made some absolutely brilliant saves to preserve the shut out. He won us the game."
Senior defender Dan Gwyther was able to score the lone goal in the ninth minute. Junior midfielder Alex Marello assisted the goal.
"Alex continues to play very solid game for us," Astudillo said. "Also, Danny has now scored the game-winner in two out of the last three games."
Astudillo attributed the win to overall good possession of the ball.
"We were a lot more poised than we have been, especially in the second half," he said.
The Bulls were already dealing with several injuries when senior forward Lee Catchpole went out in the second half against the Owls.
With so many players out of the line-up, opportunities presented themselves for some of the players who would otherwise not be playing.
"Different people are playing the positions and they're playing them well," Astudillo said. "[Freshman defender] Tom Beckvermit did a wonderful job in the back, [junior midfielder] Alex Mihal played very well and [senior midfielder] Martin John is improving every game."
Astudillo feels that players like Beckvermit, Mihal and John are making an impact on the entire team.
"Individually, I have to say, guys are stepping up and helping us win and maintaining a good rhythm throughout the season," Astudillo said.
After last week at Michigan State, where the results were not what Astudillo was hoping for - two losses - he feels like the team is back on track.
"We're fairly pleased about the results this week," Astudillo said. "We hope to continue to improve and get some more wins this week."
The team will now get ready for a test against Canisius College and Astudillo is preparing for an intense match against the Golden Griffins.
"That's generally a battle," said Astudillo. "It's at Canisius, so you know it's going to be a good match. These games always seem to bring about mystery results."
Game time is at 7 p.m. from the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo.
