By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
The St. Bonaventure University men’s soccer team fell to the Robert Morris Colonials Sunday afternoon 1-0, dropping their record to 0-4-1 on the season. The shot totals for the game were 16 for the Bonnies and 13 for the Colonials.
“I thought the first half was good,” Bonnies head coach Kwame Oduro said. “The second half was horrible, the first two minutes of that half were atrocious, and that’s why we gave up a goal. If we play like that against any team, we’re going to lose.”
The Bonnies applied pressure early, but were unable to convert any of their scoring chances. The Colonials defense was able to block or force shots wide when the Bonnies offense penetrated, or would be bailed out by junior goalkeeper Winter Fondi, who made 8 saves in the game.
“The first 15 minutes was just high energy,” Oduro said. “The last piece of the puzzle was actually putting the ball in the goal, we got tons of chances in the first 40 minutes, and [if] we score, this game changes.”
The teams then began to trade ball possession and scoring opportunities in the latter part of the first half. They began subbing in fresh players to try and jumpstart their offenses. However neither team would find the net before the halftime buzzer, as the game remained scoreless headed into the second half.
But the roles reversed in the second half, as the Colonials came out strong, applying their own pressure on both offense and defense.
“We were just flat, we seemed unmotivated and no was saying a word, it was pretty quiet on our side of the field,” Oduro said. “Lack of communication always affects any team, it doesn’t matter if you’re good or not.”
The Colonials pressure finally paid off in the 54th minute, as a shot within the goalie box deflected off of freshman defender Nicholas Mazzola and got by sophomore goalkeeper Luke Iacobellis for a goal.
“They had a set piece, they ended up crossing it into the back post,” Iacobellis said. “The man was unmarked and our player tried clearing it, and it ended up going into the back of the net.”
The Bonnies attempted to mount a comeback throughout the rest of the half, including a free kick in the closing seconds, but were unable to score before the game ended.
The Bonnies will next play in an away game against the Canisius Golden Griffins on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.
