Bulldogs Record Fifth Straight Win

Butler shook off a slow start and took command with three second half goals to defeat visiting Detroit, 3-0, in a Horizon League match at the Butler Bowl on Tuesday (Oct. 27).  The win was the fifth straight for the Bulldogs, now 11-1-1 overall and 4-0-1 in league play, and stretched the team’s unbeaten streak to eight in row.

Freshman Tyler Pollock broke a scoreless deadlock at 59:12 with his fourth goal of the season, igniting a strong final period assault by the Bulldogs.  The Butler forward gathered a pass from teammate Jared Isenthal and blasted a shot from 20 yards out directly in front of the goal.  The shot eluded Detroit goalkeeper Brandon Waterstradt and hit the net for the eventual game-winner.

The Bulldogs added two more goals in the final 24 minutes to turn a closely-contested match into a lopsided final.  Freshman Julian Cardona scored his fourth goal of the season at 66:27 from 15 yards out on the right side, after taking a nifty lead pass from junior Jacob Capito.

Butler’s final score came off the right foot of sophomore Matt Hedges at 85:03.  Hedges diverted a corner kick from Cardona into the back of the net.  It was the fifth goal of the season for the Butler defender.

The three-goal flurry was a far cry from the first 50 minutes of the match.  Butler had just six shots in the first half and just one shot on goal.  Detroit countered with four shots, including two on goal.  The two teams, who were meeting three days after their originally scheduled match was postponed because of illness, took a scoreless deadlock to the locker room at halftime.

“The week off probably affected us.  We weren’t firing on all cylinders in the first half,” admitted Butler coach Kelly Findley after the match.  “Every match takes on added importance at this point and there was a feeling out process.”

The Bulldogs came out aggressively in the second half and took control of the match.

“I thought we managed the game well,” added Findley.  “I was proud of the way our guys hung in there until we got things going.  We did a great job of creating opportunities in the second half.”

Butler finished with 11 total shots, including four shots on goal.  Detroit (3-11-1, 1-5-0 Horizon League) wound up with nine shots, including six shots on goal, all stopped by Butler goalkeeper Fabian Knopfler.  The Butler senior improved to 7-1-1 on the season.

The Bulldogs will take to the road for their next two matches, beginning with a league contest at Cleveland State on Saturday, Oct. 31.  That match on Halloween night is slated for 7 p.m. (ET).