Men's soccer falls to SFU, 3-0

LORETTO, Pa. – The Bryant University men's soccer team was blanked, 3-0, by Saint Francis (PA) on Sunday afternoon at DeGol Field.

The Red Flash (7-6-1, 4-3 Northeast Conference) used two second-half goals to keep the Bulldogs (2-11, 1-7 NEC) at bay, and also tallied a marker midway through the first half to account for the afternoon's scoring action.

Bryant netminder George Spanos (Garden City, N.Y.) came away with five saves over the course of the game, while Darius Motazed turned aside four scoring chances for SFU.

Tobi Iguade opened the scoring action at 21:55 of the first frame, putting home a rebound after Spanos made a diving save on an initial shot by Nick Kolarac.

Both teams exchanged a few more scoring chances, but the defenses shone for the remainder of the first frame, as the Bulldogs entered halftime down a goal.

At the start of the second half, the Bulldogs reeled off three shots in the first 10 minutes, but were kept off the board by Motazed. 

SFU doubled the lead in the 66^th minute after Makala Hairston scored on a rebound to make it 2-0.  David Butler and Wayne Tiller earned assists on the play.

Six minutes later, Butler made it 3-0 in favor of the home team after taking a cross from David Trunzo and chipping it into the net for the goal.  Tiller also assisted on the play.

Bryant continued to press in the remaining 20 minutes, but was only able to reel off one shot in the final few minutes of play, as Motazed hung on for the shutout.

The Red Flash held a 16-6 lead in shot attempts, while both teams committed 10 fouls apiece.  SFU also held a 10-3 lead in corner kicks.

The Bulldogs will continue conference play with a single game next Friday, traveling to New Jersey to take on Fairleigh Dickinson on Oct. 28.  Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.

For continuing coverage of Bryant University men's soccer, check back at www.bryantbulldogs.com, and be sure to follow the Bulldogs on Twitter @BryantAthletics.