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Men's Soccer Weekly Release

110:00 With Nation’s Best

The UB men’s soccer team played for the opportunity to win their first Mid-American Conference Championship title on Sunday, where they battled toe-to-toe with the nation’s top scoring offense and nationally third-ranked team, Akron. The top-seeded Zips, after having beaten Western Michigan the day before by a 5-0 tally, came out and contested with the Bulls like they had previously done earlier in the season where they came away with a 3-0 victory. However, on Sunday, the Bulls fought right back and gave the Zips a run for their money. By taking the Zips 110:00 without a goal, the Bulls accomplished something that no other team had done all season: shutting out Akron through two regulation periods and two overtime periods. After 110:00 minutes, the highly-anticipated shootout was called upon, where both teams exhibited their top scorers to showcase their talents in a one-on-one epic battle with the opposing goalie. Through six rounds of penalty kicks, each player had put one in the net. When the seventh Akron player scored, junior Andrae Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica/DeWitt Clinton) had a chance to tie it up and force an eighth round. With a stroke of bad luck, Clarke’s attempt was stopped at the goal line by a lunging Evan Bush, the Zip goalkeeper. In light of a home crowd celebration, the Bulls later realized that they had gone toe-to-toe, down to the wire, with one of the greatest teams in MAC history.

Shyle Braithwaite

Opponents Scoreless in MAC Tournament

The men’s soccer team defiantly travelled the long road to Akron last week, as it had to face two MAC opponents in the quarterfinals and semifinals. In the quarterfinal game, the third-seeded Bulls hosted the sixth-seeded IPFW Mastodons. With the team healthy and fired up, the Bulls dismantled the Mastodons 4-0 in front of a large home crowd. Sophomore Shyle Braithwaite (Brampton, Ontario/Philip Pocock Catholic) re-emerged after not scoring a single point in 10 games, put two past the goalkeeper. Buffalo outshot IPFW 20-5 in the game. The victory sent them to Akron, home of the MAC Championship game, where the second-seeded Northern Illinois Huskies were sitting and waiting after a first-round bye. Junior Erik Jaanimagi (Henrietta, NY/Rush Henrietta) led the way for the Bulls with a goal and an assist in the 2-0 upset. They avenged an earlier defeat where the Huskies scored once in a 1-0 road loss for UB. In UB’s last eight MAC games, they have outscored their opponents by a 12-2 comparison, resulting in a 4-2-2 record.

All-MAC Team

Mbwana Johnson

Over the span of the weekend, the Mid-American Conference announced its All-MAC First and Second Teams as well as the All-MAC Tournament Team. Although Akron came out as the big winner, coming away with the three major awards, the Bulls were represented by three players. Senior Mbwana Johnson (San Fernando, Trinidad/Pleasantville) made first team, while junior Andrae Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica/DeWitt Clinton) and sophomore Lee Catchpole (Norwich, England/Bungay) rounded out the second team. The All-MAC Tournament Team honored three Bulls as well. Junior goalkeeper Daniel Bell (Brampton, Ontario/Notre Dame), and seniors Greg Galemore (Rochester, NY/West Morris) and Matt Stuczynski (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) were named to the team for their stellar play in the three-game tournament.

Up Next

Daniel Bell

After finishing the season with a 14-3-2 record, the Bulls await the word from the NCAA on whether or not they will play in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show can be seen on Monday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. on ESPNEWS.