By Pat Tintle
Assistant Sports Editor
Coming off of a 3-0 loss to Delaware, the men’s soccer team hosted Western New York rival Niagara last Sunday. Despite playing to a 0-0 tie in regulation, the Bonnies fell short in overtime, losing 1-0 to the Purple Eagles.
“It was disappointing,” Coach Mel Mahler said. “I think we were starting to play well the last twenty minutes of regulation and thought that when we got into overtime we would continue.”
But the Bonnies were not able to capitalize in sudden death.
“Anytime you get into a sudden victory scenario and you lose, it’s a moral defeat,” Mahler said.
The team, however, is in an unfortunate position, according to Mahler. Having only played two games, the Bonnies are going up against teams who are already in the grind of the fall season, including Niagara, who had already played five games going into Sunday’s match.
“If we had played four more games, where would we be as a team?” Mahler said. “I felt on the day, we didn’t play very well. I felt we were the better team, but just didn’t play well until the last twenty minutes. That’s when we started to settle down a little bit. I felt we developed a little more confidence. That’s the way the game is sometimes. It takes a while before we can get into that rhythm where we can keep possession and connect five or six passes and control the game.”
Aside from the scheduling disadvantages, Mahler does not want to excuse his team from the 0-2 start to the season.
“Whenever you lose, especially at home, it’s difficult,” Mahler said. “But your character is defined by how you bounce back from it.”
Senior goalkeeper Jeremy Figler felt the loss to Niagara was especially disappointing.
“There always is (bitterness) between us, Canisius, Buffalo and Niagara,” Figler said. “We all want to be the main name in Western New York soccer. To go out and lose to one of the big four teams is always a little bit more bitter.”
The Bonnies will look for their first win of the season on the road as they travel to Lawrence, New Jersey to take on Rider on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 12 p.m.
“I thought (Rider) was lucky to beat us last year,” Mahler said. “But we’re two different teams. It’s our first road trip, so we’re anxious to see how we perform on the road.”
Despite the 0-2 record, Mahler credits his team with both durability and competitiveness so far in the young season.
“All the games are tough,” Mahler said. “There’s no easy games. It’s a matter of us just being more consistent, defending better and finding ways to score goals – we haven’t scored goals. That’s the mystery right now.”
Figler said he is excited for the first road trip of the year and hopes it will bring a much-needed spark to the team.
“Going away on the road right now will be a good thing for us,” Figler said. “We’re not having any success at home, not for any particular reason, but it would just be a good change for us, a change of scenery. You know, get on the road a bit, get with the boys on the bus, staying in the hotels, get a little comradery going. Stuff like that never hurts.”
tintleph11@bonaventure.edu
