ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure men's soccer team (4-8-3; 0-3-2 Atlantic 10) concludes the home portion of its schedule this weekend with games against Saint Joseph's (1-12; 0-5 A-10) and Temple (7-7; 3-2 A-10).
Friday's game against Saint Joseph's has been moved to Bradford High School's Parkway Stadium due to rainfall on Monday and Wednesday and snow on Thursday. The game, scheduled to start at 3 p.m., is now a 4:30 start time from the artificial surface facility.
Bradford High School
Parkway Field
81 Interstate Parkway
Bradford, Pa. 16701
The Bonnies hope that by staying off the natural McGraw-Jennings pitch that they will preserve the field so the team can play its final home contest Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. against the Owls. Any changes will be posted on GoBonnies.com.
Scouting the Bonnies
St. Bonaventure, coming off a scoreless tie with Massachusetts Sunday, is still in search of its first A-10 win of the season. Entering the homestretch of the conference schedule, the Bonnies sit in 13th place, seven points behind sixth-place schools Temple, George Washington and Saint Louis. The top six teams qualify for the A-10 Championship held on the Billikens' campus in November.
In each of the last five years in the A-10, 16 points has guaranteed a team a playoff bid. Teams have qualified for a postseason invite with 15 points in each of the last two years, and 14 points in the three years prior to that. However, all of those sixth-place schools had to win tiebreakers to get into the field. Knowing that history, the Brown and White will need to win each of its remaining games – and receive help – in order to reach the A-10 Championship. A sweep this weekend would go a long way in starting that quest.
Scouting the Hawks
Saint Joseph's enters the match without an A-10 victory or tie, sitting 14th in the conference with zero points thus far. The Hawks have lost 10 consecutive games dating back to a 2-0 victory over Army Sept. 13 – their lone win of the campaign. The Hawks have been outscored 32-9 this season, tallying three goals in conference play.
Ironically, the Hawks counter their offensive struggles with impressive play in the net. Saint Joseph's is seventh in the country with 6.15 saves per game, while goalkeeper Andrew D'Ottavi ranks eighth in the nation, averaging 5.75 saves per contest in his 10 starts this season.
Scouting the Owls
Temple will face Duquesne Friday night before heading to Olean to face the Bonnies on Sunday. The Owls are in the midst of the A-10 Championship hunt, currently tied for the last slot. Temple averages 1.43 goals per game, fourth-best in the A-10. Aggressive play has been the mantra for the Owls all season, as they currently rank third in the conference in offside calls (two per game) and tied for fourth in yellow cards (1.71 per game).
Individually, junior midfielder Cody Calafiore leads Temple with 12 points (five goals and two assists). The Monmouth product last scored in a 2-0 win over Xavier Oct. 21. Senior midfielder Tyler Witmer supports the Owls' attack with four goals and three assists (11 points).
Next Up
The Brown and White wrap up the regular season on the road next weekend, traveling to the nation's capital to face George Washington Nov. 4 and Richmond to face the Spiders Nov. 6.
