The women's soccer team entered this weekend looking to start a winning streak after its thrilling overtime victory against Miami (Ohia) last week. While they didn't win, they didn't lose either.
Buffalo (8-2-2, 1-1-2 Mid-American Conference) faced No. 42 ranked Central Michigan (8-1-3, 1-0-2 MAC) and Eastern Michigan (0-9-2, 0-3-1 MAC). The Bulls shutout Central Michigan, but couldn't get anything past the defense and fought the Chippewas to a scoreless draw. Buffalo managed to score against Eastern Michigan, but ended the match in a 2-2 tie thanks in part to a crucial mistake.
Central Michigan and Buffalo boast the highest-ranked defenses in the MAC, but the Chippewas still found ways to pressure the Bulls and fired off 19 shots.
Sophomore Ainsley Wheldon stepped up once again and blocked every one of the Chippewas' 10 shots on goal for her seventh shutout of the season. She currently ranks second in the nation in shutouts.
Wheldon has been clutch for the Bulls all season long, and head coach Michael Thomas was quick to acknowledge that fact.
"Enough can't be said about Ainsley Weldon," Thomas said. "She was good when she needed to be good and she was spectacular when she needed to be spectacular."
Buffalo did not get nearly as many opportunities and didn't have any shot attempts during regulation. The Bulls had to wait until double overtime for its four shots, but none of them were on goal.
Senior forward Aubrey Stahl had the biggest chance to score for the Bulls. Stahl had a one-on-one advantage against a Chippewa defender, but had her shot go wide.
Thomas was happy his team was able to go toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the conference.
"It was great to come out to Central Michigan, and get a tie against a great team like them," Thomas said. "It's something we can definitely build on."
The Bulls broke their offensive slump when it scored three goals against Eastern Michigan on Sunday, including one for the Eagles.
Tied 1-1 in the first half, Buffalo's defense attempted to clear the ball away from their territory. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the ball found its way into their own net to give the Eagles the lead at the 14th minute.
The mistake capped off a wild first 15 minutes for the Bulls. Buffalo scored first in the fourth minute when junior forward Taylor Thompson took the ball on the right side to score her third goal of the year. Eastern Michigan responded with a goal of its own in the ninth minute.
Stahl scored the final goal of the match late in the first half. The forward took a pass from sophomore forward Karen McMahon to send a shot to the back of the net to tie the game.
Both of the teams were aggressive and constantly sought for chances to get the upper hand. They attempted a combined 58 shots, with less than half of them on target.
Wheldon stood tall against the Eagles' attack and made eight saves. She currently has a conference-high 60 saves this season.
Buffalo's endurance was tested during the weekend. The team has made it through three consecutive overtime games, and Thomas was impressed that his team held steady during the stretch.
"The team came out and showed a lot of heart playing in their fourth overtime game in five days," Thomas said. "We definitely needed to play the full 90 minutes, and it's good to get positive results when you give it your all like that."
Buffalo heads back to UB stadium this Friday to face Northern Illinois (1-9-2, 0-4-0 MAC). Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
