Men’s Soccer draw Bowling Green on the road

They nearly did it again.

Under Stu Riddle Men’s Soccer has made a habit of late-game dramatics, especially in MAC play. It was a year ago against tonight’s opponent that Russell Cicerone sealed his MAC Player of the Year candidacy with a thrilling score in the 89th minute.

In tonight’s 89th minute, Daniel Cramarossa hit the crossbar with UB’s ninth shot of the night, but the Bulls couldn’t punch another late winner in and the match ultimately ended in a 0-0 draw. Combined with Akron’s late 2-0 lead on WMU, it became apparent midway through the second half that Bowling Green and Buffalo were on target for a rematch in the MAC Semifinals barring UB conceding a goal.

The Falcons have strung together the conference’s only unbeaten record in MAC play, and outplayed UB for much of the first half, forcing Joe Kuta to make six saves before the break. Prior to Cramarossa’s chance, he helped the Bulls weather a flurry with four saves in five minutes. Another burst from the hosts in the second overtime culminated in the ominous play by play line “Shot by BGSU own goal blocked.”

But Joe Kuta made nine saves as UB was outshot 22-11 on the night for the program’s record-tying 10th shutout of the season. Russell Cicerone had four shots and three of UB’s attempts on target.

While the draw keeps UB from claiming a share of the MAC regular season title, keeping Bowling Green out of the win column saves the Bulls from the daunting prospect of facing Akron in the semifinals. UB lost to the Zips 4-0 in the regular season after a pair of one-goal losses in 2015.