Men’s Soccer wraps up Virginia trip Sunday with Liberty

It’s considerably less stifling in Virginia today than on Friday, when UB Men’s Soccer had to take their foot off the gas to survive 95-degree heat in a 2-0 win over Virginia Military Institute, and that’s a good thing because today’s opponent, Liberty, is unquestionably stronger than the Keydets.

The Flames come in to the Sunday matinee 3-1-0 with wins over Howard, USC Upstate, and that VMI team, and a 2-0 loss to William & Mary. They’re a relatively young group with only two seniors, only one of whom has played each of the Flames’ four games.

UB still boasts an unbeaten and unscored-upon resume, and will do well to come out on the front foot, as they did against VMI. Liberty has outshot their four opponents by a near two-to-one margin and have not yet allowed a goal before halftime. Freshman keeper James Knoebel averages four saves a game while sophomore Tresor Mbuyu leads the team with 10 shots.

Liberty as a team was 6-10-1 last year and may be improved, but it’s hard to see them jumping from a sub-.500 team to one that challenges an experienced group looking to find a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They’re better than VMI, and it’s hard to say much definitively in soccer, but I’ll use a phrase I’ve used already this year: If UB is the team they expect to be and good enough to challenge Akron later in the season, this is a game they need to get a result from.

A live video stream will be available through Liberty.