BY JEFREY CANOVA, SPORTS STAFFER
Photo: GoBonnies
The St. Bonaventure University men’s soccer team defeated La Salle University 2-0 on Senior Day with goals from Rafael Pereira and Dean Mercer, boosting the Bonnies’ Atlantic-10 conference record to 2-3-1 (6-5-3 overall).
La Salle, now 1-3-2 in the A-10 (5-6-3 overall), alarmed the Bonnies’ defense in the game’s first ten minutes as it attacked them with quick runs. In the 7th minute, Bonnies goalkeeper Jules Dechert stopped Explorers forward Kyrese Lynch-Bailey’s shot from the inside right-hand side of the box after a La Salle counterattack.
Like their previous 2-0 victory against Duquesne University, the Bonnies regained control of the entire first half through their explosive counterattacks and short and quick combination among their forwards, starting with forward Umechi Akuazaoku and midfielder Kenzo Brito.
In the 18th minute, Brito saw Bonnies forward Rafael Pereira burst down the left flank and delivered a through ball to him. Pereira then cut to his right foot and curled the ball into the right corner of the net, scoring the Bonnies’ first goal of the game and his second goal of the season. Brito increased his total assist tally to five on the season.
At halftime, the Bonnies had six shots (three on goal), while the Explorers had five shots (two on goal).
In the second half, the Bonnies showcased their improved defense as the Bonnies backline forced the Explorers to finish the game with 11 shots and just one on target the entire second half. La Salle had just one corner kick over 90 minutes.
Kwame Oduro, the Bonnies men’s soccer coach, said the team’s mentality and understanding of La Salle’s offensive game plan caused a dominant defensive performance.
“If we stayed disciplined and compact, it would be very difficult for them to break our block,” said Oduro. “We’ve watched their games, and they score many goals from set pieces. We wanted to eliminate that. Everybody was talking, and everyone was communicating. Guys were losing their voices because they were always yelling.”
Bonaventure kept troubling the Explorers’ defense as its counterattacks allowed the team to finish the game with 16 shots, five on target. In the 80th minute, Bonnies defender Callum Shillington recovered the ball from midfield and initiated a Bonaventure counterattack once he delivered a through ball to a bursting Bonnies forward Rashid Aroza, who subbed in for Akuazaoku in the 79th minute. Aroza failed to score on the opportunity as La Salle goalkeeper Filip Sabatti saved his shot toward the bottom right corner.
In the 83rd minute, the Bonnies sealed the win after Aroza’s powerful shot inside the right-hand side of the box smacked the top of the post and landed to Bonnies midfielder Dean Mercer, who slotted in Bonaventure’s second goal of the game and the first of his career.
Oduro elaborated on the decision behind the substitution of Aroza for Akuazaoku.
“With those two guys, they are a 1-2 punch. We give Umechi most of the minutes, but when Aroza comes on, he’s just as good and he gives us another lift, another dimension,” said Oduro. “He’s an aerial threat, and he’s a good defender as well. He reads queues and knows where to press and when to hold.”
Before Saturday’s kickoff, the Bonnies honored their graduating players, defenders Clay Smith, Haji Shee, David Cubillos, Michael Kohl, and Mitch Wambach, midfielder Marius Dahl, goalkeeper Jules Dechert and Pereira.
The Bonnies will play their final non-conference match against Bucknell University at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Bucknell has a 1-9-2 record.
Leave a Reply