Nov. 4, 2007
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Sophomore defender Matt Culo's goal in the 87th minute salvaged a point for the St. Bonaventure men's soccer team in Sunday afternoon's 1-1 double overtime draw on Senior Day at McGraw-Jennings Field.
The Bonnies move to 6-6-2 (3-3-1) and extend their unbeaten streak to two games, while the Colonials pick up their first point since a 1-1 draw with Temple on Oct. 21 and improve to a 7-8-2 (1-4-2) mark.
"In today's contest, we witnessed what can happen when you don't finish opportunities early in matches," said head coach Mel Mahler. "We have to give credit to George Washington because they defended very well and found a way to score a goal."
Following a scoreless opening half that saw only three combined shots on net, George Washington opened the scoring at the 75:40 mark when sophomore Mike Briscoe beat freshman goalkeeper David Flynn for his first goal of the season. Briscoe snuck the ball into the top left corner of the net from an awkward angle after receiving a pair of passes from fellow classmates Andy Stadler and Erick Perez-Segnini to put his side up by a single goal.
With the clock approaching the 90 minute mark, Culo corralled a loose ball in the box and blasted a shot past junior goalkeeper Matt Scheer from inside the six-yard box for the equalizer at the 87:20 mark. Culo's game-tying score was his second of the season.
"It was encouraging to see our team find a way to tie the game after falling behind," said Mahler. "We are pleased to get a point this afternoon, but we are disappointed that we didn't finish our opportunities throughout the match."
The Bonnies held a 4-1 shot advantage in the two overtime periods, but both clubs had opportunities to send their sides to victory. The Brown and White's best chance came in the 93rd minute when sophomore Stephen Bortolon's shot from inside six yards was stopped by a Colonial defender from his own goal line. George Washington nearly advanced to the winner's circle when Stadler's header sailed just wide of the far post.
For the game, St. Bonaventure outshot the Colonials 13-11 with senior Jon Lopez leading the club with three total shots.
Flynn turned away three shots in 110 minutes of action after making two stops against Richmond on Friday for an unbeaten weekend.
Prior to the opening kickoff, the club's eight seniors were honored in a pre-game ceremony in recognition of their careers in the Brown and White. Tom Burkett, John Darrah, Ken Lish, Jon Lopez, Nick Lopez, Collin Omen, Ben Nida and Nikola Vasilev each participated in their final home contest of their career on Sunday afternoon.
The Bonnies will hit the road for their final two matches of the season beginning Friday, Nov. 9 at Dayton for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The club will then travel to Cincinnati to take on Xavier at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in their regular season finale.
