Regular readers here at Bull Run have learned over the last year that there's plenty of excitement outside of football and men's basketball. As Conrad is handling daily football previews, I figure for the first time ever we can also do a daily preview series for the rest of the fall sports, as well. After all, our readers need to be informed.
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There's no better way to start than to go big. Marshall transfer Scott Doney Men's Soccer may have the biggest impact of any newcomer to UB Athletics this year. The 6'5" sophomore forward is a former teammate of fellow Bulls Fox Slotemaker and Cameron Hogg at Mount Albert Grammar School in New Zealand and will completely change the face of the Bulls offense.
Read More: Scott Doney
Read More: Scott Doney
That might be inaccurate; he's already changed the UB offense. In a ten-game spring schedule played on two continents, Doney scored five goals and added three assists. You can see a still shot of one of those goals in the header image. It's clear that his size will help on set pieces, both free kicks and from the corner flag, and he should be a regular from the beginning in 2015.
Prior to coming to Buffalo, Doney played one season at Marshall, starting seven games and scoring one goal. He's played in the New Zealand National Team Program before, but wasn't on the Kiwi roster for the U-20 World Cup this summer. He's instead spent the summer with FC Buffalo, and in five games has contributed two assists, one in a 2-1 win over Cincinnati back in May, and another in a 3-1 win over the Michigan Stars in mid-June.
Doney's addition to the forward corps could create lineup headaches: Despite a few transfers after last season, Marcus Hanson is still around for another year and senior Nikolay Netskar and junior Steven Stryker both showed improvement in the spring. A big-bodied target like Doney front and center should at a minimum allow star midfielder Russell Cicerone to play a little deeper in the field to help the Bulls build possession, but could also open more space for the creative dribbler, as opponents will want to mark the 6'5" Kiwi.
Doney and Men's Soccer first see action in a preseason match against Hartwick on 16 August, and start the regular season against Seton Hill on Friday, 28 August.
Go Bulls