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Bulls Begin Season by Taking Two on the Road

Feb. 25, 2010

The Buffalo Bulls men’s lacrosse team started the season right by downing Pittsburgh (2-1, 2-1) on February 23 and Purdue (0-2, 0-2) on February 24 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Sophomore attackman Brian Loeffler (Islip) netted the first goal of the season with a wrap-around-the-crease goal into the top left corner early in the first quarter against Pitt. It was one of his game-high five.

After going up by two and then giving up two, the Bulls rallied for five unanswered goals to romp into halftime with a score of 7-2 and spirits high. But after the half, the Bulls early season rust began to show as the Panthers outscored Buffalo 6-1 in the third quarter and tied the game at eight. After working out some kinks, the Bulls came back in the fourth with strong play from senior attacker Ryan “Stoobie” Mierzwa (Lancaster) and managed to come away with two goals and a win, 10-9.

The defensive unit was tested early and often as the Bulls took six penalties in the first quarter and fourteen overall. Through numerous one and two-man down situations, the team was held together by strong play from senior goalie Jason Reynolds (Iroquois) and a stellar performance by the defensive lineup of senior Ben Loefke (Iroquois), sophomore Ryan Kelly (Harrison) and sophomore Eric Barbera (Williamsville South), who played well in his debut as a Bull. Senior defensive midfielder Matt “Neon” Beres was singled out by coach Ryan Crawford for his outstanding all around effort during the game. Reynolds made 18 saves, including a game-saving bounce shot by an unmolested Pitt shooter in an attempt to tie with six seconds left.

Aside from Loeffler’s five, Mierzwa and freshman Nick Edson (Amherst) found the net twice apiece, and junior Matt Wachler (Syosset) chipped in one of his own. Junior Josh Miner (Amherst) tossed Buffalo’s lone assist.

After shaking off the rust Friday night, the Bulls returned to Pitt’s Cost Arena to take on another divisional rival, the Purdue Boilermakers (0-2, 0-2). Buffalo’s offense looked more settled right from the opening faceoff, and the defense continued its commendable play.

Buffalo jumped to an early lead but found themselves battling in the second quarter as the Boilermakers upped the tempo and battled back to a halftime tie. After some soul-searching during halftime, the Bulls came out firing on all cylinders and never looked back.

The game was a night of the newcomers, as junior attackman Ryan Eastman (Hilton), who stepped in for an injured Matt Wachler, fired his first goal of the season and as a Bull, and freshman midfielder John Curaba (Coram) put two into the mesh in just his second collegiate game. Freshman midfielder Nick Edson (Amherst) added one and freshman defender Justin Bader (Suffern) played outstanding in place of injured Eric Barbera. Sophomore defender Ross John (Gowanda) set the tone by stepping off the bench and delivering a punishing hit in the third quarter.

The scoring was once again led by sophomore attackman Loeffler (Islip), who burned six into the back of the net. His 11 goals in two games puts him first in the conference in scoring. Also scoring were senior attackman Ryan Mierzwa with three, sophomore midfielder Eric Tinti (Auburn) with one, and senior Mike Terranova (Fayetteville Manlius), who darted towards the crease unseen and quick-sticked the ball in for his only goal of the game. Junior goalie Geoff Lehman (Orchard Park) made 15 saves en route to a 15-11 win and a 2-0 start for Buffalo.

The coming weeks will see the Bulls embark on a four game away trip to face Florida State on March 12, Clemson on March 15, N.C. State on March 17, and Virginia Tech on March 18. Although none of the games are against conference foes, the Bulls look to impress by posting strong performances against Florida State, who was ranked #9 in the Shamrock preseason Top 25 Poll, and Virginia Tech, who was ranked #14.

-Tim Lowden