Bulls Give Valiant Effort in Double Overtime Loss to West Virginia 1-0

Heartbreaking loss with only seconds remaining

MORGANTOWN, VA – The University at Buffalo men's soccer team concluded the 2009 West Virginia University/Nike Classic in a valiant effort by falling to host West Virginia, 1-0 in double overtime with only seconds remaining. The Bulls faced the Mountaineers down a man for over 35 minutes due to a red-card infraction with under seven minutes remaining in the second half.

Akil Howard

The Mountaineers game-winning goal came at 119:05 off an individual effort by WVU's Moeryhan Doue inside the box.

The Mountaineers managed to hold the advantage in both shots, 11-3 and shots on goal, 3-1.

The physical style of play yielded a total of 37 fouls between the two squads including nine yellow cards and one Buffalo red card.

Sophomore Nick Fetterman recorded two saves in 119:05 of action.

Steffen Thoresen

"This was a heartbreaker. I am proud of these young men in the valiant effort they put forth. Playing a man short for over 35 minutes of play showed the desire and perseverance of this team. It was a great effort in many aspects of the game especially from our back three of Steffen Thoresen, Akil Howard (Queens, NY/Shattuck-St. Mary's) and Alex Mihal," said coach John Astudillo.

In recognition of their strong defensive performances against Pittsburgh and West Virginia, defenders Howard and Mihal were selected to the West Virginia University/Nike Classic All-Tournament Team.

The Bulls (1-1, 0-0 MAC) will continue on the road as they travel to the Midwest for a two-game Big East roadtrip. On Friday, September 11, the Bulls face Marquette at 7 pm followed by DePaul at 12 pm on Sunday, September 13.