BY NATHAN SOLOMON, MANAGING EDITOR
Photo: GoBonnies.com
With a group of 16 newcomers, St. Bonaventure men’s soccer coach Kwame Oduro didn’t necessarily know what to expect this season.
But after six non-conference games, Oduro has a bit more clarity about his young squad. Although the team has victories in just two of its games, the Bonnies are competitive and showing signs of growth from last season.
St. Bonaventure opened its 2022 campaign with a pair of 1-0 losses against Saint Francis (Pa.) and Central Connecticut State but responded with home victories against Bucknell and Binghamton. A few days later, the Bonnies traveled to Little Three rival Canisius and escaped with a 1-1 draw after falling behind early in the first half.
However, they weren’t as fortunate against Cleveland State on Monday. Cleveland State, a team with 10 goals in its first three games, controlled possession against Bonaventure and netted a goal in each half, defeating the Bonnies 2-0.
Though Bonaventure dropped the game, Coach Kwame Oduro felt the game was a great challenge and an important learning experience.
“We knew it was going to be the most difficult opponent we’ve played so far,” Oduro said. “We just lacked energy. We didn’t touch them. They were passing the ball right through us and shooting from everywhere in our defensive third.
“We want to be organized and know where the ball is going before it got there. But it seemed like we were always reacting to where the ball was going to go.
“Nothing was going right. We needed to take more shots in the final third. We were always looking to pass the ball, and unfortunately, we made the wrong decision of who to pass the ball to in those moments.”
But, that’s now in the rear-view mirror. Saturday starts a blank slate for the Bonnies. They travel down to Fairfax, Virginia for the Atlantic 10 opener against George Mason.
Bonaventure is looking to improve off its 3-5 league record last season to clinch a spot in the A-10 Tournament for the first time since 2017, where that squad went 4-4. A trip back to the tournament would be Oduro’s second as Bonaventure head coach.
“I hope we are ready,” Oduro said. “We need to continue to defend the way we have been defending. In these games now in the A-10, it’s about who makes the first mistake. If you make the first mistake and you give up a goal, it’s usually really hard to come back from.
“As long as the game is 0-0, we always have a chance to win a game.”
George Mason opened up its season with three consecutive losses, but most recently, it beat Radford University 3-1 at home.
“They (George Mason) are a team also trying to find their identity,” Oduro said. “They have some talented players. How good are they together with a new coach? We’ll see.”
Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
