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Bulls Play Zips Tough, But Fall 5-2

The University at Buffalo men's soccer team took on defending national champion and current Mid-American Conference leader Akron on Friday night at UB Stadium with the Bulls suffering a 5-2 loss to the Zips. All seven goals were scored in the second half with UB posting 1-0 and 2-1 leads early in the final half.

Craven, Tiedt Net Goals

UB took the first lead of the night at the 48:47 mark of the match as Richard Craven scored his third goal of the season into the lower left side of the net. Patrick Ryan drew the Akron defense to the right side and passed to Craven on his left as Craven fired the shot into the open net. The assist gave Ryan the team lead with his fifth helper of the season. After Akron tied the match, UB regained the lead, 2-1, after Darren Mattocks pulled down UB's Joey Merlo in the box at the 62:16 mark. Senior Andy Tiedt converted on the penalty kick for his team leading fifth goal of the season.

Doing Something No Other MAC Team Has Done

With their two goals against the Zips, the Bulls were the first MAC team to score against Akron this season. Akron had previously shut out Western Michigan, Northern Illinois and Hartwick in their three previous league contests. Additionally, the two goals allowed by the Zips were second only to the three goals No. 19 UC Santa Barbara scored in a 3-2 overtime win over Akron on October 5.

Controlling Their Own Destiny

The Bulls are now 2-2-0 in league play with two matches remaining. UB and Northern Illinois both have 2-2-0 records tying the squads for second place behind league leader Akron (4-0-0). UB needs one win to claim a playoff spot and could clinch the second seed with a sweep of their final two matches against Florida Atlantic and Hartwick. The top four teams make the MAC Tournament, which will be played November 11 and 13 at the site of the regular season champion.  

Scouting the Owls

UB travels to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic on October 29 in their next matchup. Kickoff is at 7:00 pm. FAU dropped a 1-0 decision on Sunday at Northern Illinois to put the Owls' record at 0-3-1 in the MAC and 5-6-2 overall. Jeremy Crumpton stopped four shots against the Huskies. Darnell King leads the Owls with five goals and three assists for 13 points this season. King's three assist are also tied for the team lead with Karol Chorak. The Bulls hold a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series. In last year's contest, played in Buffalo on October 31, 2010, Mike Unwin scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over the Owls.