University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: September 4, 2003

Football

Rutgers 24, UB 10

UB found out in the 2003 opener how a few mistakes in a close football game can make the difference between winning and losing.

Rutgers University did not turn the ball over and used a fast, first-quarter start to post a 24-10 win over the Bulls on Saturday night before 25,011 fans in Rutgers Stadium. The Bulls, who trailed 21-0 at halftime, rallied to trim the lead to 21-10 in the third quarter, but could not make enough plays to erase the early hole.

The Scarlet Knights outgained UB by a 406-292 margin and controlled the clock, holding the ball for nine minutes more than the Bulls.

"I think Rutgers not only did a better job in the running game," said head coach Jim Hofher, "they were far more consistent with moving the chains with their run game. They did a terrific job off the run with some play pass. It was a very hard-fought game and I think both teams showed to be in good condition. It's surprising there was only one turnover in the game and I was very proud of how hard our kids fought. Better football needs to be played and better football will be played in order to earn victory."

Despite Rutgers advantage in the offensive numbers, the game still came down to a few turning points in the first quarter. After both teams were stopped on their initial drives, Rutgers drew first blood after a costly Bulls' mistake. After a Dominic Milano punt was called back following an illegal procedure penalty, Rutgers' punt returner, Tres Moses, took advantage of his second chance by breaking a 66-yard touchdown scamper to give the Scarlet Knights a 7-0 advantage with 8:26 left in the first quarter.

The Bulls, however, responded to the challenge with an impressive drive starting from their own 27-yard line. In seven plays, the Bulls were facing a first-and-five at the Rutgers nine, looking like they would tie the game. However, a controversial offensive pass interference call moved UB back to its own 24 and sophomore kicker Mike Baker saw his 38-yard field goal attempt sail wide right.

Rutgers gained more momentum after that taking the ball from its own 20 and marching 80 yards in nine plays, culminating in a Ryan Hart-to-Moses 15-yard touchdown pass to grab a 14-0 advantage late in the first quarter. The Scarlet Knights' third score of the evening also was the result of a lengthy drive. A six-yard Justise Hairston touchdown run capped a 13-play, 91-yard drive with 3:18 left in the half. Rutgers took a 21-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

The Bulls began to regroup early in the second half as they took the opening kick of the second half and drove down to the Rutgers' 13-yard line. The drive stalled, however, and UB settled for a Baker 30-yard field goal.

On the next UB possession, tailback Dave Dawson exploded through the line on a third-down play en route to a 76-yard dash to the end zone with 7:33 left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-10. It was the longest run of the sophomore's career and the longest in Buffalo's Division I-A history. Dawson finished with a career-high 125 yards on 14 carries.

The Bulls got two more chances to cut into the lead, but ultimately could not put enough offensive plays together. UB got the ball back at its own 49-yard line and moved to the Rutgers 38 before quarterback Randall Secky was sacked to push UB out of scoring territory. After stopping the Scarlet Knights again, Dawson fumbled while gaining a first down at his own 33. The Bulls didn't threaten again and Rutgers put the game away with a 20-yard field goal after a 6:29 drive that ate up all but 2:41 of the fourth-quarter clock.

The Bulls offensive line opened holes throughout the night as UB racked up 232 yards rushing. Dawson led the way with 125 yards, while sophomore Aaron Leeper added 53 yards on 13 carries. Redshirt frosh Chris McDuffie had three carries for 26 yards in his first collegiate carries.

The Bulls' defense was paced by senior linebacker Lamar Wilcher, who recorded a career-best 16 tackles (six solos) and broke up a pass. Senior Chris Clifton added 11 tackles, while senior safety Mark Graham had nine tackles.

The Bulls will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. The Hawkeyes, who defeated Miami (OH), 21-3, on Saturday, played in last Season's Orange Bowl and currently are ranked 23rd nationally in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

Volleyball

UB 3, North Carolina State 1
UB 3, Siena 1
Boston College 3, UB 1
Syracuse 3, UB 1

UB opened the 2003 season with two wins and two losses in the Western New York Volleyball Tournament over the weekend. On Friday, the Bulls opened the year with a 3-1 win over North Carolina State (28-30, 30-24, 30-17, 30-24), followed by a 3-1 win over Siena (30-24, 30-22, 23-30, 30-24), marking the first time since the 1999 season that they have started off with a 2-0 record. Senior Lindsay Matikosh led the Bulls with 40 kills in the two matches, including 23 kills on 35 attempts with no attack errors versus Siena. Her .657 hitting percentage is a UB record for a four-game match.

Matikosh led the Bulls' attack against North Carolina State with 17 kills and 10 digs, while freshman Nikki Morzenti began her college career in impressive fashion with 12 kills and 11 digs. Junior Molly Schrantz also contributed a team-high 17 digs in the win. Against Siena, senior Alexis Bouie and Morzenti both reached double figures in kills, with 11 and 10, respectively, and sophomore Amy Brown recorded 53 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Lauren Burd recorded a match-high eight blocks to lead the Bulls defensively.

On Saturday, the Bulls lost two close matches to conclude the tournament. They began the day with a 3-1 loss to Boston College (30-19, 27-30, 30-26, 33-31), and then suffered a 3-1 loss to Syracuse (32-34, 30-23, 33-31, 31-29).

Against the B.C. Eagles, Matikosh had 15 kills to lead the Bulls offensively, and sophomore Katie Weekley added nine kills and a match-high nine blocks. The Bulls out-blocked the Eagles by a 14.0-5.5 margin in the match. Freshman Brandie Clark recorded a double-double with 12 assists and 14 digs while also adding five blocks. Schrantz was the Bulls' standout against the Orangewomen, recording a career-high 22 kills while also adding 19 digs. Matikosh added 16 kills and a match-high 20 digs, and Weekley finished with 12 kills and five blocks.

Matikosh was UB's selection to the All-Tournament Team after leading the Bulls with 71 kills (4.44 per game), a .338 hitting percentage and 54 digs (3.38 per game) in their four matches over the weekend.

The Bulls (2-2) will participate in the Duke Classic this weekend with matches against Southern Illinois on Friday and against Duke and Charlotte on Saturday.

Soccer

MEN'S

Duquesne 4, UB 0
Temple 3, UB 1

The Bulls traveled to Pittsburgh to open the season with a pair of matches at the Duquesne Tournament. In Friday's opener, Duquesne scored four first-half goals, including two by Steve Mellor, then shut down UB to earn a 4-0 shutout. The Dukes outshot the Bulls by a 21-9 margin.

Freshman Daniel Bell played a perfect second half for the Bulls in relief of starting goalkeeper Chris Vavrina. Bell turned aside all three shots he faced. Vavrina made four saves in the first half.

Mellor opened the scoring only 1:25 into the game, then added another tally just over four minutes later. Duquesne also received goals from Dan Hartung and Damien Pottinger.

UB suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Temple Owls in Saturday's contest to conclude the weekend. Patrick Beckley and Dave Pidgeon were named as UB's representatives to the All-Tournament Team.

UB's lone goal was scored by freshman Matthew Okopny with five minutes remaining. Beckley picked up an assist on the scoring play. Bell played the final 22:28 and did not allow a goal, extending his shutout streak to 67:28.

UB (0-2) returns home to RAC Field for four consecutive contests, including a pair this weekend in the UB Fall Classic. The first match will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday against Central Connecticut State. Canisius and Wright State will open the tournament at 5 p.m. UB will host Wright State in Sunday's finale at 2 p.m.

WOMEN'S

Minnesota 4, UB 2
UB 1, Creighton 0

UB opened its 2003 season with a 4-2 loss to the host Golden Gophers at the Minnesota Invitational on Friday. After falling behind 2-0, Buffalo battled back to tie the score, only to see the Golden Gophers register the game's final two goals.

Down 2-0, Shannon Ferreira got the Bulls on the board at the end of the first half. Following a feed from Lauren West, Ferreira fired the ball into the lower right side of the net. Devon Russell knotted the game at two on a penalty kick midway through the second half.

The Golden Gophers then notched the contest's final two goals to secure the victory.

In goal for UB, Anna-Lesa Calvert recorded four saves.

UB posted its first victory of the season on Saturday night with a 1-0 blanking of the Creighton Bluejays. Russell notched her second goal of the season when she scored early in the second half from 35 yards out. Calvert posted her first shutout of the season in net for UB.

The Bulls' defense was smothering all night long, allowing Creighton just seven total shots. Only one of those attempts was recorded as a shot on goal.

Good news was waiting when the Bulls returned home as Russell was named the Mid-American Conference's Women's Soccer Player of the Week for her two-goal performance in the tournament. A two-time All-MAC Team selection, Russell already is just one goal shy of tying her career high for goals in a season.