The UB women's soccer team is gearing up to snap a two game winless streak this weekend with a couple of games that could get them off their current skid. They play at Canisius in a non-conference game on at 7 p.m. Friday and then at home at noon Sunday against MAC rival Akron.
Buffalo has gone winless in three of the last four after opening the season at 4-1. In the most recent games, they have been outscored 6-2.
The Bulls head into Canisius on Friday with a 5-3-1 overall record (1-2-1 in the MAC). Canisius comes into the game with 0-5-1 overall record, and the Bulls have owned Canisius in recent history with an eight-game winning streak.
"We need to minimize our mistakes," said head coach Jean A. Tassy. "After we score we must be committed to get the next goal."
Those are just two keys Tassy said she believes will help the Bulls achieve a two-game sweep, which would include a conference win against Akron, which has a record of 2-5-1 overall and a 1-3 conference. The Zips also have a game Friday at home against Kent State, prior to their matchup with UB.
The Bulls are hoping to extract a little revenge on the Zips after suffering a 2-1 loss to them last year, securing the Zips' first conference win. If they want to host a playoff game, UB cannot afford another loss like that.
"We have eight games left in MAC play, and the players need to be aware that it will take a majority of wins to finish in the top four of the conference and host a play-off game," said Tassy.
The Bulls will need their top two guns, Emily Russell and Natalia Crofut, to continue their strong play this year. The two are the team's top two goal scorers with Russell recording six and Crofut scoring five.
If Buffalo doesn't play down to their competition and play solid on both sides of the ball, there is no reason why the Bulls cannot go into the month of October with an impressive 7-3-1 overall mark.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
