HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sophomore Brad Vanino scored in the 3rd minute, sophomore James Reed added an insurance tally in the 73rd minute and sophomore goalkeeper Mitchell Mack earned his second consecutive shutout on Sunday as the men’s soccer team (2-2) defeated Florida Atlantic (1-2-1) by a score of 2-0.

Vanino gave St. Bonaventure the early lead, and in keeping with the sophomore theme, Reed had the primary assist and fellow second-year Daniel Iannacito was credited with the secondary assist. Vanino received a pass from Reed via the left side of the pitch, and from just a couple yards in front of the FAU goal he beat keeper Jeremy Crumpton.

The goal was the first of the season for Vanino, who also had the primary assist on Iannacito’s goal on Friday in a 1-0 win over UNC Asheville.

The Bonnies continued to dictate the pace of play following their opening strike, holding at one point a 5-1 shot advantage and finishing the first half with a 6-0 advantage in corners.

St. Bonaventure got the insurance goal it was looking for off the foot of Reed midway through the second half. Emmett O’Connor – also a sophomore – sent a ball into the center of the box from the right side of the pitch to Reed, who was at the end of a lengthy run which originated in the Bonaventure defensive end.

“We had a wonderful early goal from Vanino, and Reed’s goal was brilliant especially considering his run originated from 70 yards away,” head coach Mel Mahler said. “His (Reed’s) commitment is to be admired.”

With the two-goal lead, the Bona defense in front of Mack was able to keep the Owl attackers at bay most of the match, as the keeper needed to make only two saves to earn his second career shutout.

After surrendering six total goals in two losses last weekend, the Bonnies have now evened their record at .500 with back-to-back shutouts. Sunday’s win was over a very formidable opponent as well, as Florida Atlantic defeated Florida Gulf Coast last week, 3-1, when the Eagles were ranked No. 14 in the nation.

“This is a great win for our program,” Mahler commented. “Our goal was to get two wins on this weekend trip, and I’m proud of the effort both physically and mentally. Now we rest and refocus for another challenge next weekend.”

That challenge comes in the form of another long road trip and two games in three days as the Bonnies head to a tournament at High Point University in North Carolina. The club will face Radford on Friday before battling the host Panthers on Sunday.

Game Notes: This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools … the game was part of the James Madison University/Fairfield Inn by Marriott Invitational Tournament … St. Bonaventure took 15 total corners in the match, compared with just three by FAU … the Bonnies out-shot the Owls, 10-7 … FAU committed 11 fouls while Bonaventure was whistled for seven … three yellow cards were issued, two to FAU (Tyler McNabb; Darnell King) and one to SBU (Garrett Pasono).

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