THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: St. Bonaventure 2, Gannon 1 (OT)
Records: GU (0-1-0), SBU (1-0-0)
Location: Sahlen's Sports Park | Elma, N.Y.
The Short Story: The Gannon men's soccer team took the field for the first time in over 14 months as it kicked off its delayed 2020-21 season Friday, outplaying St. Bonaventure for long stretches before an overtime goal sealed it for the Bonnies.
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a quick feeling-out period, Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain/) got the scoring opportunities started in the 12th minute, chipping one at SBU goalie Justyn Sandhu that required some effort. Castillo had another as the Golden Knights started finding a rhythm midway through the first half.
- St. Bonaventure seemed to find a groove late in the opening stanza though, getting deep in the offensive zone and taking advantage of a couple of fouls to get some shots on goal. Gannon keeper David Syntelien (Gjovik, Norway/Gjovik Vinderegaende) and his defense kept the Bonnies at bay on the first few, but SBU hit on a free kick inside of five minutes to go before halftime to go up.
- That seemed to get Gannon moving though, as Toby Gower (Norwich, England/Long Stratton) had a chance right before the break that went high, and the Knights came out of the intermission on fire. Five shots in a 10-minute span kept St. Bonaventure on its heels, with four of those going on goal.
- Del Castillo cashed in on a corner in the 75th minute to tie things up for the Knights, crashing on a corner from Lennox Crews (Offenbach, Germany/Leibnizschule) and getting a foot on the ball to beat the keeper. The sophomore followed that up less than a minute later with a beautiful strike from the top of the box that careened off the crossbar, and a chip that went just high as Gannon nearly went ahead.
- Just five minutes into overtime, the Bonnies took advantage of a well-placed entry pass on one of their first possessions to get a one-on-one with the keeper, putting the ball through for the game-winner.
GAME NOTES
- Gannon, which went deep into the 2019 season to reach the NCAA round of 16, was playing its first competitive game in 442 days.
- With a foot of snow still on the ground in both Erie and western New York, the game was played on a regulation field indoors at Sahlen's Sports Park in Elma, New York.
- The game finished with an even 14-14 mark in shots. The Golden Knights outshot the Bonnies 10-5 in the second half, and led with nine shots on goal in the game.
- Del Castillo posted a game-high six shots, including four on goal. Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School) and Tinashe Katsande (Norwich, England/Dereham Sixth Form College) each had two shots on goal.
- Five members of the starting lineup for Gannon were freshmen making their collegiate debut.
UP NEXT
- Gannon continues a stretch of four games away from home to start the season next Friday, heading to Ashland.
- Information on live coverage should be available next week.
- The Knights are unbeaten in six all-time meetings with the Eagles, holding a 4-0-2 mark.
