The Bulls have been playing their best soccer as of late as they have won back-to-back matches against Navy and Canisius and are unbeaten in their last five overall (3-0-2). Last time out, the Bulls earned a dominant 3-0 victory over Big 4 foe Canisius at UB Stadium as three different players collected markers, Carissima Cutrona, Andrea Niper and Julia Benati.
The high flying UB offense that has scored six goals in their last two matches is led by redshirt sophomore Carissima Cutrona who has netted a team-high and career-high six goals so far this season. Cutrona ranks second in the MAC in game-winning goals with three and fourth in the MAC in shots with 18 on the year. Junior captain Julia Benati is having a strong start to her season as she ranks second on the squad with two goals and two assists for six points while ranking third in the MAC in shots with 26. Since making the swith to the attacking midfield spot, sophomore Nicole Gerritz has been a constant threat in the offensive third for the Bulls as she has collected a pair of assists while creating dangerous chances for the UB forwards.
Between the pipes, junior goalkeeper Laura Dougall has taken over the reins as they starter as she is 2-0-1 over her last three starts. The Pickering, Ontario native owns a staggering 0.64 goals-against average, 0.864 save percentage and two cleansheets while making 19 saves. Earlier this season, Dougall became the program’s all-time leader in shutouts as she earned the 22nd of her career against Brown. For her career, Dougall ranks first in program history in shutouts (23) and goals-against average (0.66) and second in wins (28).
The Syracuse Orange enter Thursday’s showdown against Buffalo with a 6-1-1 overall record and a 3-1-0 home record. The Orange have won three straight matches, all on the road, as they earned the 2-1 win over Cornell, the 1-0 win at Rhode Island and the 3-0 victory at Fairfield. Syracuse’s lone loss on the year came to Bucknell, 2-1, on their home turf.
Leading Syracuse offensively is senior forward Stephanie Skilton who has a team-best three goals to go along with 12 shots on the year while Evan Gordon has netted two goals and an assist for five points. Taylor Bennett leads the team with three assists while Sydney Brackett has a goal and two assists to go along with a team-high 21 shots. In goal, junior Courtney Brosnan has started all eight matches and owns a 0.49 goals-against average, 0.826 save percentage and four cleansheets while making 19 saves.
After Thursday’s match, the Bulls will have seven days off before they begin MAC play on the road against Ball State at 5 p.m. Sept. 23. UB will then travel to Miami (OH) on at Sept. 25 for a 1:00 pm tilt.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
