In what was their final home game of the regular season, the UB women’s soccer team (10-1-6, 5-1-4 MAC) defeated the reigning Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions Ohio (10-3-4, 5-2-3 MAC) by a score of 2-0 at UB stadium on Thursday night. They followed this performance up with a 1-1 draw against the Miami RedHawks (7-4-6, 3-3-4 MAC) on Sunday afternoon, securing a spot in the MAC tournament.
The results from this past week not only clinched a spot in the MAC championship tournament for the Bulls, but also capped an undefeated regular season at home. They now hold second place overall in the MAC standings.
In the match against Ohio, the Bulls were the clear offensive aggressors. In the first half of play, they outshot the Bobcats with six shots to their zero but were unable to break the deadlock as the midfield battle prevented clear scoring chances for both teams.
UB maintained their offensive intensity in the second half and eventually found an opening on the wing in the 75th minute. Junior midfielder Sarah Woods set up senior forward Guerber for a well-timed half-volley finish, opening the score in Buffalo’s favor.
The goal would end up marking the end of Ohio’s defensive resilience as UB would double their lead less than 10 minutes later with a goal from Senior forward Arianna Zumpano. She was put in the clear off a pass from graduate defender Frederique St.-Jean and managed to beat out two Ohio defenders before slotting it past their goalie, securing the win for Buffalo.
Although the Bobcats had their attempts on goal, each on-target effort was denied by sophomore goalkeeper Lexie Thompson, who earned her tenth shutout of the season with this result.
In the penultimate game of the regular season, the Bulls fought the RedHawks to a draw in an away match in Oxford.
Despite the Bulls being on the receiving end of relentless offensive pressure, they managed to open the scoring in the 38th minute of play. Zumpano found the back of the net for the second consecutive match, this time off a low cross from freshman forward/midfielder Carolyn Hinkle. Buffalo managed to hold on to their lead going into the second half.
Miami weren’t ready to give up just yet, as they continued their attempts at goal. Although Thompson was only forced to make a save three times all game for UB, the RedHawks were able to draw a foul inside her penalty area in the 77th minute. They converted the resulting penalty kick, bringing the game to end on level terms.
The Bulls will travel to Mount Pleasant on Thursday to face the Central Michigan Chippewas (5-8-4, 3-4-3 MAC) for their final match of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Rodrigo Feijão is the senior sports editor and can be reached at rodrigo.feijao@ubspectrum.com
