Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY: WILL NUNN AND SEAN WALLACE, CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
From securing Atlantic 10 conference victories to being featured in SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays, the St. Bonaventure men’s soccer team looks to capitalize on its success this month by securing an A10 playoff spot.
The team entered the season with 21 returning players, including Kenzo Brito, Umechi Akuazaoku, Andres Javitt, Daniel Helle and Rashid Aroza, who all tallied goals for the team in the 2023-24 season.
After a 1-3 start to the season, the Bonnies improved to a 5-3-3 record since Sept. 7 and are tied for seventh place in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
On Sept. 24, after a 2-1 win at home against Robert Morris, SportsCenter named Andres Javitt’s goal-scoring bicycle kick number one on its top 10 plays segment. Javitt leads the team with 13 points thus far this season.
Additionally, last week, the A-10 named goaltender, Nicolas Pucci, the defensive player of the week.
Winning three of their last five games, the Bonnies sit one point ahead of La Salle and Loyola Chicago for the final playoff spot in the A-10.
Victories against Davidson, Bucknell, La Salle and a draw against George Washington sparked a sense of belief in the locker room.
“I would say my motivation and the team’s motivation overall is to make the A-10 playoffs,” said senior forward Rashid Aroza. “We all play each conference game like it’s a final, as every point matters in the A-10. The men’s soccer program hasn’t made the playoffs in a while, so we are all eager to change that.”
The Bonnies were eliminated in the first round with a 4-1 loss to VCU last time they qualified for the A-10 playoffs in 2010. Since 2017, they have not finished higher than the 11th seed in the conference.
“Personally, I play each game like it’s my last college game,” said Aroza. “As a senior, this is my last year, so I put in extra effort on the field to try and give back to the program.”
Fifth among the team in points, Aroza has two goals and one assist in 15 games played this season, including a game-winning goal against Davidson.
Coming off a 2-1 home loss against Dayton, the Bonnies will look to rebound at George Mason Saturday.
Their final home and regular season game will be against Massachusetts, Saturday, Nov. 2, with a potential playoff game to follow.
nunnwg24@bonaventure.edu, wallasj23@bonaventure.edu
