By Nick Konotopskyj
Sports Assignment Editor
Four games into the season, the women’s soccer team picked up its first win of the season.
It came on Tuesday night in front of a raucous Bonnies’ home crowd. The final score was 2-0 over the State University of New York at Buffalo.
The win comes after a loss and back-to-back ties, which brings the overall record to 1-1-2.
The Bonnies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the 24th minute by senior forward Abby Maiello. The goal was set up by senior midfielder Stephanie Jenkins, who sent a cross into the center of the box, where Maiello headed the ball into the back of the net.
“I just saw the ball coming, and I knew this was my chance,” Maiello said. “It was a beautiful ball by Steph (Jenkins), and it’s easy to score when you get set up like that.”
The Bonnies carried that lead into halftime and then added to it in the 49th minute when Maiello set up fellow senior Lauren Hill for the insurance goal which made it a 2-0 game.
“As long as you are creating those chances, the goals will come, and tonight, they did,” Coach Steve Brdarski said. “They (Maiello and Hill) are the players we will be counting on all season long. They are grinders, and they are competitive and want to get out here and get results for this team.”
After having their first two games on the road, Coach Brdarski said he understands the importance of getting wins on the team’s home turf.
“It’s an honor to play in front of the student body on this amazing complex,” Brdarski said. “It’s not just the idea of playing there, you want to get results. It’s just the way those girls played today. They rolled up their sleeves and did what they had to do.”
The Bonaventure crowd was loud for the entire 90 minute contest, and it was a big reason why the Bonnies got out to an early lead.
“Our fans are amazing, and I couldn’t ask for better fans at every game,” Maiello said. “It feels really good, and hopefully, we can carry this with us into the weekend.”
The Bonnies’ next two games also come at home, the first of which is tonight at 7 against another team from the MAC, the Akron Zips. The second is Sunday afternoon at 2:30 against Cleveland State.
“We have great work ethic,” Maiello said. “Everyone pushes each other in practice, so we need to stay focused, play like we did tonight, and we should be all squared away for the weekend.”
Coach Brdarski was enthused about the win and said facing UB is a great way to gear up for their upcoming opponents, he said.
“Part of playing Buffalo is playing against a MAC opponent, and I think there are going to be some similarities between them and Akron,” Coach Brdarski said. “Cleveland State has had some good results recently, so we are going to take both of these teams in and hopefully these girls can continue to do what we’ve been working on in practice. We will have them as prepared as possible to win those games.”
The Bonnies don’t start their conference schedule until Oct 1., so facing good non-conference opponents will be a good test for them moving forward.
“Both of those teams have done well so far (Akron and Cleveland State),” Brdarski said. “It doesn’t get easier for us; it just becomes more of a challenge.”
