HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sophomore midfielder Daniel Iannacito tallied his first career goal, and the men's soccer team (1-2) picked up its first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over UNC Asheville (0-1-1) on Friday as part of the James Madison University/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Invitational Men's Soccer Tournament.
Sophomore Brad Vanino sent a ball into the box from the left side of the pitch that deflected off a defender to Iannacito. The Canadian – who was making his first appearance of the year – then beat keeper Lassi Hurskainen from the center of the box about 10 yards out. The assist was Vanino's first of the year, one season removed from finishing in the top-5 in the Atlantic 10 in assists.
Iannacito's tally came after limited chances by both teams in the opening 24 minutes as each side attempted just one shot. Following the goal, action picked up – particularly the physical play – as a combined 11 fouls were called on the two sides in the final 15 minutes of the half.
The second half started exactly the opposite way as the first, and the Bonnies nearly found themselves with a two-goal cushion but James Reed's shot in the 47th minute hit the post.
The Brown and White protected its one-goal lead, despite a bombardment of shots from the Bulldogs as they attempted 16 in the game, including nine on frame. Thirteen of those 16 shots came in the second half, including seven on goal. Asheville's best chance came in the 82nd minute when A.J. Iiames's header hit the post.
Mitchell Mack started in net for Bonaventure, and exactly a week after surrendering three goals to the University at Buffalo, the sophomore earned his first career shutout in just his second career start.
"I'm very pleased with the win," head coach Mel Mahler said. "It wasn't our most attractive performance, but it was certainly effective. Danny's (Iannacito) goal was great. We defended better than our past two games, weathered their all-out effort to tie the game in the last 20 minutes and found a way to win. Now we focus on our Sunday match, and the test is recovering enough to play a second match in three days."
The Bonnies continue action at the James Madison tournament on Sunday when they battle Florida Atlantic for the first time. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Game Notes: St. Bonaventure attempted 10 shots, three of which were on goal … there were 28 total fouls called – 15 on St. Bonaventure and 13 on UNC Asheville … the Bulldogs out-cornered the Bonnies, 7-4 … each side was issued a yellow card: Asheville's Sam Rossabi in the 55th minute and Iannacito in the 71st … this was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
