By Chris Gilbert
Staff Writer
With only three games left in the regular season, the team holds an 8-6-1 record and is in sixth place in the Atlantic 10.
There are eight playoff spots for the A-10 Tournament, out of 13 teams that make up the conference. The Bonnies look to grab a spot in the tournament and secure a spot with a win against the Massachusetts. They only have one game this weekend, giving the team an unusual full week of preparation.
The Bonnies will play the Minutemen on Sunday at noon at McGraw-Jennings Field. The men will play their last three games at home against three A-10 opponents. Massachusetts sits on the outside looking in ninth place looking to squeeze into the tournament. They have a record of 2-3 in conference play and have an overall record of 3-11-1. The last time these two teams met was at St. Bonaventure, and they tied 0-0 through two overtimes.
Coach Mel Mahler said he is enthusiastic about his team’s play recently and hopes to continue that trend this week.
“I think that’s everything we have been working for is to get to the A-10 postseason,” he said.
He said Massachusetts may be a team quite different than this past weekend’s opponents, but he also stressed that his team will not take Massachusetts lightly.
“They’re young, and they have had some difficult results,” Mahler said. “They may not be the best team on paper, but they are well coached. They have a lot on the line too, so I anticipate it to be a very difficult match to win. We have always had good matches against UMass, and I do not see that to be any different (this weekend).”
Mahler said he expects an exciting game this week.
“These are two teams fighting to get into the playoffs, a typical type of match in the A-10 to see this time of year,” Mahler said.
Mahler said he thinks the road ahead is bright, and one of the reasons for that is being at home for these last three games of the season.
“Being at home is great,” Mahler said. “We had good success on the road, but being here is great. It is always good to be home.
