Ruffini powers BU past AC for first victory

Matheus Ruffini breathed a sigh of relief when his rocket of a shot bulged the back of the net on Wednesday night.

Midway through the first half of the Brandon University Bobcats’ fourth game of the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference men’s soccer season, they finally had their second goal.

Ruffini added another minutes later, helping BU secure its first victory of the season, 4-0 over the Assiniboine College Cougars (0-4-0) at Cougars Field.

“The first one I got a good contact on it, second one not so much, but thankfully it still went in,” said the fifth-year midfielder.

“What we needed was a bit of a confidence boost and definitely this game helped us with it. The first three games didn’t go our way at all. We planned things and they didn’t work out.

“This game is definitely important for us in terms of confidence.”

The Bobcats (1-2-1) weren’t bad on opening weekend, falling 1-0 to the powerhouse St. Boniface Les Rouges and drawing the Providence Pilots 1-1. But in their lone match last weekend, they suffered a 4-0 loss to the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers in what was supposed to be a revenge game after losing last year’s final to them on home turf.

Ruffini has one big takeaway through four games.

“We’re stronger as a team,” he said. “We’ve always been a good, strong team together, every single year we play for each other.

“These first couple of games, we were picking on each other; we weren’t working together. If we work together, we’re going to be able to do good things.”

Outside of Ruffini’s two goals, the Cougars battled tough on the defensive end and created a few counterattacks they nearly converted.

AC goalkeeper Adebowale Oshitayo made plenty of terrific saves despite playing through an injured thumb from the first game of the season.

In the second half, he conceded a point-blank blast on a Ben Ibitoye penalty kick buried in the bottom-right corner. But he wants the two he allowed during a rainy first half back.

“I really feel bad, not going to lie. I feel bad; I’m trying my best,” Oshitayo said. “The game is not about the rain. Some goals they scored were because of my hand. That’s why they keep playing that way. The first goal was because of my hand. The second one is because of my hand. They knew. They know me very well.”

BU went deep into the bench during the second half, but even with most of its top guys on in the first, Ruffini was happy with how rookies Cash Melo and Elijah Carlson-Lee pressured the Cougars defence.

“We have good, young guys here. They’re not just here to waste their time or waste our time; they’re here to actually compete,” Ruffini said.

“Every single new player we have can and will compete, especially those two new guys, Cash and Eli, that played in the first half. They have a good future ahead of them.”

The women’s game ended after deadline.

The Bobcats visit Les Rouges on Saturday and have Sunday off. The Cougars host the Pilots on Sunday.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com