ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure University men's soccer team poured on an onslaught of goals against Little Three rival Canisius Wednesday evening at the Marra Athletics Complex, rolling past the Golden Griffins, 5-0.
The Bonnies (2-3-1) struck first in the sixth minute when Ricardo Rittersberger Galan received a pass from Jesper van Halderen on the left side of the box and quickly buried the game's opening goal to make it 1-0.
Bona kept the pressure on early as van Halderen and Seth Hammond tested the Canisius keeper with shots from distance inside the opening 15 minutes.
The next flurry came in the 22nd minute when Benjamin Haynes led an odd-man rush, sending a dangerous cross into the box, but no Bonnies could connect. Moments later on the counter, the Golden Griffins broke through one-on-one with the Bonnies goalkeeper, but their chance sailed high.
Strong link-up play between Ethan Streeter and Hammond created another look for the Bonnies, but Canisius' goalkeeper was up to the task, keeping the score at 1-0.
The Golden Griffins thought they had equalized in the 42nd minute, but the goal was waved off due to an offside call.
Tempers flared just before halftime when a Bonnies player was taken down in the box, awarding Bona a penalty in the 45th minute. Kyle Macfarlane calmly converted from the spot, slotting his shot down the middle to double the lead heading into halftime, 2-0.
The Bonnies carried their momentum into the second half. In the 52nd minute, Hammond sent a ball across the field to van Halderen, who curled a stunning strike into the top-right corner to make it 3-0.
Bona wasn't done yet. Callum Shillington set up Hammond with a floated pass in the 60th minute, and Hammond fired from the top of the box to extend the lead. Just three minutes later, Hammond struck again, finishing a long throw-in to secure his brace and cap the scoring at 5-0.
On the other end, goalkeeper Felix Schöne stood tall, recording his third career clean sheet to complete the dominant performance.
The Bonnies' five goals were the most in a game since winning 5-1Â over Howard Sept. 9, 2013.Â
The Bonnies return to action Sunday, Sept. 14, when they travel to Pittsburgh to open Atlantic 10 play against Duquesne.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MICK GIORDANO
"I can't really put into words how much tonight meant. Only because I'm just so proud of every single one of our guys and the staff, and just not today. They have been on a different level and at a different gear since this past Friday. We were a bit tired after Le Moyne and we reset and again I just can't say how proud I am and how much it means. I think everyone got to see the amount of drive, energy and passion this group has and its not for themselves, it's for each other.
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