ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – On the heels of a tie with Duquesne last weekend to open Atlantic 10 Conference play, the St. Bonaventure men's soccer team resumes its road trip this weekend with a pair of A-10 battles against Charlotte and Saint Louis.
Friday, St. Bonaventure (4-5-2, 0-0-1 A-10) plays Charlotte in a 7 p.m. start at Transamerica Field, followed by an 3 p.m. (EST) Sunday tilt with Saint Louis. Charlotte enters the weekend ranked No. 11 by College Soccer News, No. 15 by the NSCAA and Soccer Times and No. 19 by Soccer America.
The Brown and White played to a 1-1 tie with Duquesne Oct. 7, but finished just six seconds shy from starting the conference slate with a victory. Senior forward Joshua Gonsalves gave the Bonnies a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 41st minute off an assist by sophomore midfielder Daniel Iannacito.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mitchell Mack kept Duquesne off the scoreboard numerous times, making five saves while stepping out of the box to break up the Dukes' aggressive offensive attacks. However, Duquesne's Adam Clement scored to knot the game, and after two scoreless overtime sessions the clubs played to a draw.
Sophomore James Reed's hot start still puts him at the top of the A-10 offensive categories, as the midfielder is tied for second with five goals and ranks tied for fifth with 11 points. Fellow sophomore midfielders Brad Vanino (two goals, three assists) and Emmett O'Connor (one goal, a conference-best five assists) support Reed with seven points each.
Charlotte (8-2-1, 1-0-1) enters Friday's matchup on the heels of a 1-1 tie with Rhode Island Sunday. The 49ers were picked to finish first the league in preseason voting, and currently lead the conference in shots (16.09 per game), points (5.27 per game), goals (1.82 per game) and corner kicks (7.64 per game).
Senior forward Evan James paces Charlotte with four goals and four assists (12 points), while junior forward Donnie Smith has three goals and two assists this season. Charlotte will wear pink kits during Friday's game to support the volleyball program's Dig Pink initiative for breast cancer research.
Meanwhile, Saint Louis (2-7-1, 0-2-1) will host the Bonnies after inviting the Brown and White's travel partner, Duquesne, to Hermann Stadium on Friday. The Billikens enter the weekend on a five-game winless streak (0-4-1), the most recent struggle coming via a 1-0 loss to Massachusetts last Sunday. Saint Louis is also winless at home this season (0-2-1).
Saint Louis hasn't scored since a 4-3 loss to Drake on Oct. 1, but freshman midfielder Raymond Lee leads the team with nine points (four goals, one assists). Senior forward Mike Roach supports the Billikens' attack with five points (one goal, four assists).
Following the match with SLU, the Bonnies open the home portion of their A-10 slate with matchups against Rhode Island and Massachusetts next Friday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 23, respectively.
