Oct. 10, 2008
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Sophomore Fabrizio Savarino's first career goal rescued a 1-1 double overtime draw for the St. Bonaventure men's soccer team against Saint Joseph's on Friday afternoon at McGraw-Jennings Field in the Atlantic 10 opener for both sides.
The Brown and White's fourth tie of the season moves the club to 2-2-4 in the 2008 campaign, while the Hawks improve to 3-2-2 to extend their unbeaten streak to three contests. St. Bonaventure remains unbeaten at home in 2008 with a 2-0-2 mark.
"It's very disappointing for us not to have won this game today," said head coach Mel Mahler. "Saint Joseph's deserves a lot of credit. Statistically we were the better team, but they found a way to stay in the match and take the lead.
Their goalkeeper (Bryan Benedict) played terrific. He single-handedly kept them in the match. Benedict was outstanding and surely was the man of the match."
Despite owning a commanding 16-5 shot advantage for the game, the Bonnies failed to find the back of the net until the 77th minute. Included in the club's offensive output was an 18-4 advantage in corner kicks.
The Bonnies controlled the pace of play throughout the opening 45 minutes of action, out-shooting the Hawks 8-0. Sophomore David DiNardo nearly put his side up by a goal in the second minute of play, but his blast was blocked by a defender in front of the net. Fellow classmate Brett Allen also created an opportunity early in the match as his header was cleared off the line by a Saint Joseph's defender at the 19:16 mark.
With the score still knotted at 0-0 following the interval, Saint Joseph's began to apply some pressure at the Bona net for the first time in the match. The Hawk's second shot of the game nearly put the visiting side in front, but Colin Baker's shot found the woodwork to preserve the scoreless stalemate.
Just six minutes later, the Hawks snapped the draw with the contest's first score in the 67th minute. Following a foul on the Bonnies, Travis Gast's free kick connected with Michael McInaw to put the Hawks in front 1-0. McInaw's perfectly placed header beat sophomore goalkeeper David Flynn at the far post.
However, the Bonnies continued to create chances at the other end and finally capitalized with the equalizer at the 77:35 mark. Savarino collected a cross from sophomore Scott Howard in the center of the box and blasted the ball by Benedict to even the score.
"I am proud of our guys for the way they fought back to tie the game, but we have to stop allowing teams to stay in matches," said Mahler. "It has been a problem for us all year as we have not executed at a high enough level to capture the win. Allowing clubs to remain in the match is the reason we have settled for so many ties."
Only one shot was recorded in both of the overtime periods by either team.
Flynn was forced to make just one save on the day, while Benedict turned away five Bona shots for the Hawks.
Junior Samuel Maheu's speed down the flank caused fits for the Saint Joseph's defense throughout the match. The Ottawa, Ontario product registered a game-high five shots on the afternoon. DiNardo tallied a trio of strikes, while senior John Darrah and junior Tyler Bellamy each posted two shots.
The Bonnies return to action on Sunday, October 12 for an A-10 showdown against Temple. The third of six straight home matches is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff.
