Bonnies Fall To The Highlanders

HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Chris Leko rang a shot off the crossbar in the 6th minute Wednesday night, but that was as close as the men's soccer team (3-4-0) got to scoring against Houghton (5-4-0) as the Highlanders handed the Bonnies a 4-0 shutout loss at Burke Field.

The Highlanders scored two first-half goals, both off long throw-ins, and converted two second-half goals, both off corner kicks, as they responded from a 2-1 loss against the Bonnies last year at McGraw-Jennings Field.

"We didn't do a good job defending the long throw, but it's probably one of the most effective long throws I've seen in my coaching career," head coach Mel Mahler, now in his 19th year overall, said. "We have not done well in defending corner kicks, and it's something we're going to need to address if we're going to meet our expectations this year."

Houghton scored its first goal on an own goal by the Bonnies in the 20th minute. Houghton's Christopher Davis gave the Highlanders a 2-0 halftime lead when he found the back of the net at the 30:02 mark. Paul Seddon found Daniel Smith in the 61st minute to extend the home team's lead, and Steven Bower completed the scoring 10 minutes later when he converted Houghton's second corner kick of the night.

Despite the differential in the goal column, the Bonnies controlled most of the game, as they outshot Houghton, 29-14, including 13 shots – four on goal – from freshman Emmett O'Connor. They also out-cornered the Highlanders, 13-4, in forcing keeper Steve Zacchinga to make 10 saves on the night, compared with three for the Bonnies' Shane Nolan.

"I thought we possessed the ball well and did some things we were hoping to (in order to) create chances," Mahler said. "We created chances but just didn't finish. Leko's shot could have changed the complexion of the game, but it didn't. It was just one of those nights."

The Bonnies won't take to the pitch again until Oct. 1 when they travel to Little Three rival Canisius. And despite having some things to work on, Mahler wishes that wait was a lot shorter.

"The time off will help us address some injuries, but I think right now we're a team that is begging to play another game," Mahler surmised. "We want to get back on the field and play right away, but unfortunately we're going to have to wait."