UB Women’s soccer (7-7-5, 4-4-3) played their most important game of the year Thursday afternoon against Akron. If they lost, their season could have been over. Even in the cold rainy weather, the Bulls played at 100 percent from the first minute to the end. With the win, Buffalo finished the season 7-0-3 at home.
There’s an old adage in sports that good teams can win ugly. Last Friday, through the rain and cold, Buffalo men’s soccer played an ugly game against Mid-American Conference rival Western Michigan and managed to come out with a 1-1 tie despite being “outworked,” according to head coach Stu Riddle’s. With Buffalo (9-3-2, 1-1-1) trailing 1-0 in the 90th minute, senior forward Russell Cicerone went up in the box with less than a minute left in the game and snatched life from the jaws of death as he knocked a header into the net off a cross from senior defender Alec Fisher.
The Buffalo Bulls (1-6, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) are struggling to find their first conference win and things aren’t going to be any easier this week. After Saturday’s 44-7 loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies (2-6, 2-2 MAC), the Bulls host east division foe, the Akron Zips (5-3, 3-1 MAC), on Thursday night at UB Stadium.
The Bulls are trying to find their footing and Schreck remains a consistent bright spot for the team. Schreck has averaged 42.6 yards per game, with another strong showing on Saturday. This consistent play is something both Schreck and coaches attribute to his work ethic.
Saturday was underwhelming for the Buffalo Bulls (1-6, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) as they were thoroughly defeated by the Northern Illinois Huskies (2-6, 0-3 MAC), 44-7.
The Buffalo Bulls (1-6, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) looked outmatched Saturday as they were dominated by the Northern Illinois Huskies (2-6, 2-2 MAC), 44-7 at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies were led by senior quarterback Anthony Maddie who led the team in both rushing and passing. He finished 16-of-29 for 199 yards and a score through the air. He also had 125 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Bulls freshman quarterback Tyree Jackson threw four interceptions in the game, two of them intercepted by junior cornerback Mayomi Olootu Jr.
The UB women’s soccer team looks to close out the rest of the season with three wins so they’re ready for the playoffs. “[These games] are huge for us cause, we’re kind of in playoff mode,” said head coach Shawn Burke. The women’s soccer team (6-7-3, 3-4-1 Mid-American Conference) has been a pretty successful program in these past few years with a new coach at the helm.
The Bulls football team certainly has not started the season the way they expected. Coming off a 5-7 mark last year, Buffalo (1-5, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) had potential to become a bowl-eligible team this season.
Senior midfielder Braden Scales, a member of the 2012 recruiting class, tore his ACL meniscus one week after committing to UB men’s soccer team (9-3-1, 1-1), causing him to redshirt for the 2012 season.
The Buffalo Bulls (1-5, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) are still seeking their first conference win after losing to the Ball State Cardinals (4-3, 1-2 MAC) 31-21 Saturday at UB Stadium.
With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, Ball State sophomore running back James Gilbert broke away from Buffalo’s defense on an 80-yard rush. After failing to capitalize on their best start of the year, the Buffalo Bulls (1-5, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) fell to the Ball State Cardinals (4-3, 1-2 MAC) 31-21, in front of 16,092 people at UB Stadium Saturday. Gilbert had 264 yards along with two touchdowns and led the Cardinals. Sophomore quarterback Riley Neal also contributed two rushing touchdowns for Ball State as well as 212 yards in the air.
Last Friday, the UB men’s soccer team (8-3-1) had their worst loss of the season, losing 4-0 on the road against rival Akron. Akron was the first ranked team the Bulls played this season and on Saturday they will take on West Virginia, another team receiving NSCAA Coaches Top 25 votes. Following a 7-0-0 start to the season, Buffalo has stumbled of late and for a team hoping to make its case for a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, it’s gut-check time.
The Buffalo Bulls (1-4, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) head into Saturday’s game against the Ball State Cardinals (3-3, 0-2 MAC) 1-8 in the all-time series. The Bulls’ only win came in the 2008 MAC championship game. It has been five years since the last time the two programs played. The Spectrum has the scouting report on which team has the edge.
UB men’s basketball team will be without forward Blake Hamilton for four to six weeks, according to a Buffalo News report.
UB women’s soccer team has relied on a tough defense and star goalkeeper this season, but it’s Carissima Cutrona who has carried the load offensively.
The Buffalo Bulls football team (1-4, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) opened up conference play this week when they hosted the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-4, 1-1 MAC) at UB Stadium Saturday. Kent State overwhelmed UB with their speed and came away with the 44-20 victory.
Saturday was all about Nick Holley. Holley, the junior receiver turned quarterback, lead the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-4, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) to victory over the Buffalo Bulls (1-4, 0-1 MAC), 44-20.
Defensively, sophomore middle linebacker Khalil Hodge, a JUCO transfer from California, already appears to be in full command as a leader on defense. Despite just entering the program this year and only being a sophomore, Hodge has already taken on the role of Mike linebacker in UB’s defense. He is the quarterback of UB’s defense and he has thrived as the defensive playcaller thus far for Buffalo.
After a 1-3 start to the season, the UB football team looks to turn it around in conference play. The Bulls open up their Mid-American Conference play when they host Eastern division foe Kent State (1-4, 0-1 MAC) on Saturday. The team is hoping to capitalize on a fresh start after the underwhelming start in their four game non-conference slate.
UB senior forward Russell Cicerone is not only the best player on UB’s men’s soccer (8-2-1) team, he’s one of the best players in the entire country. In next January’s MLS Superdraft, he has a chance to be one of the first 10 players off the board and selected in the first round.
Solutions by The State News
