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UB's Offense Shines In 3-0 Lopsided Win Over IPFW

Braden Byler

Buffalo (10-6-2) made aggressive advances at the start of the match, pressuring the IPFW (2-15-1) zone often. At 8:55, senior Braden Byler (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) put the Bulls on the board after rebounding the ball that had bounced off Mastodon goalkeeper Michael Knitter. Junior defenseman Dave Chojnowski (Rochester, NY/Hilton) rifled the ball into the box, causing Knitter to come out and challenge the play. However, Knitter would suffer an injury that would take him out for the rest of the game. Backup goalkeeper Joshua Howell would come in relief and be challenged often.

Steffen Thoresen

Freshman Steffen Thoresen (Trondheim, Norway/Kristen Videregaaende Tronderlag) would score his first collegiate goal, as he headed home the ball off a service from a free kick from senior Kevin Balkanloo (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson). Thoresen's shot would be one of 17 shots taken in the first half of play.

Brian Knapp

The barrage of shots would continue well into the second half after the trifecta of goals was complete at the 53:04 mark. Senior Brian Knapp (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) took advantage of the IPFW exhaustion as he coasted into the box and took his time in burying the third goal of the game. With many of the UB starters out of the game, the Bulls' reserves continued to assault the IPFW defense, creating havoc and picking up where the starters left off. Of the team's 32 total shots, the bench contributed for 13 shots, most of them within the last 25 minutes of the game.

Senior Daniel Bell (Brampton, Ontario/Notre Dame) made two saves in his eighth shutout of the season. His ten wins on the year ties him for third all-time in UB history in a single season. Howell withstood a barrage of shots, coming up big despite the loss. He made 14 saves in relief, which is tied for the sixth-most saves made by one individual in a single game in Division I men's soccer this season. In four all-time meetings, Buffalo has not allowed a single goal by IPFW.

The Bulls travel to DeKalb, Illinois for the MAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday, where they will face top-seeded Northern Illinois on Friday at 3 p.m. EST. For more MAC Tournament information, please visit the MAC homepage at www.mac-sports.com/.