The Buffalo State Sports Round-up is back for the second of many weeks to come, covering every Bengal game from the last seven days. This week saw the men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football, and women’s volleyball teams all in competition once again, while the cross country squad competed in its first meet since the Yellowjacket Invite two weeks ago. So, were they all able to bring home wins this week? Here’s where we find out.

Men’s Soccer
Kicking this week’s recap off where we left it last week, taking a look at the 8-1 men’s soccer team. Their week started on Wednesday night at SUNY Morrisville, taking on the Mustangs. This one was a grinder.
Neither side was able to put the ball in the back of the net in the first half, with defense being the focal point of the match-up through the first 45 minutes. Fouls piled up on each side as well, Buffalo State being hit with 14, Morrisville with 12.

At the 60-minute mark, the scoreless tie was finally broken as Diego Rivera buried a goal to put the Bengals on top. Just two minutes later, he did it again to give the Bengals a 2-0 advantage. Rivera’s 18th and 19th goals of the season were enough to push Buffalo State past Morrisville on the road, capturing their fourth straight shutout win and moving to 9-1 on the year, 2-0 in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC).

The team was back at Coyer Field on Homecoming Saturday to celebrate Senior Day against the visiting SUNY Canton Roos. The tenacious Bengals’ defense was on its A-game yet again, allowing just one shot on goal for a second consecutive game. But the early offensive struggles continued from Wednesday’s contest. It remained at a stalemate until the 57th minute, when Diego Rivera found forward Joseph Desmonie for the go-ahead goal. A senior-to-senior connection on Senior Day, how fitting.

From there, the Bengals maintained control over the Roos, despite their attempts to push forward. In the 84th minute, Diego Rivera sealed it with a penalty kick goal, giving Buffalo State the 2-0 win and a fifth straight shutout victory. The Bengals are now 10-1, 3-0 in conference play, and on an absolute tear.
This coming Wednesday is the next time you can catch the men’s soccer team in action as they host Fredonia at Coyer Field for the 2025 “Battle By The Lake.”

Women’s Soccer
We go from men’s soccer over to women’s soccer to see if they had similar success this past week.

On Wednesday, the team was back on home turf to host the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs. The Bengals were coming off a win to open SUNYAC play and were hoping to see continued prosperity in their second outing. Sustaining that success was not going to be easy to come by, or so it seemed when Morrisville struck first on the road with a goal in the 27th minute. Not too long after, Buffalo State senior midfielder Kaylee Valentic found the back of the net to knot things up at one goal apiece.

Over the course of the game, the Bengals would shoot sixteen more shots on goal over the Mustangs, ultimately laying the groundwork for the onslaught of offense that was to come. From the 59th minute onward, Buffalo State would score seven unanswered goals, coming from five different players, to blow the game wide open. They earned the victory 8-1, and remained unbeaten in SUNYAC play through two games.

On Saturday, the squad went back on the road, traveling to Canton to face the winless Roos. Not wanting to be on the wrong end of a massive upset, the Bengals were focused from the opening whistle, dictating the pace and maintaining possession. The scoring got started in the 22nd minute, when freshman midfielder Riley Stevenson knocked in a goal to put Buffalo State in front. They would own a 2-0 lead over SUNY Canton at the break after an Olivia Kilmer goal in the 35th minute. The team held the Roos to just one shot for the entire game, while putting in three more goals in the second half to secure a 5-0 win.

So far, the Bengals are cruising through the SUNYAC schedule. The team is getting hot at the right time, and they will look to carry their momentum into the “Battle By The Lake” at Fredonia this Wednesday night.

Women’s Volleyball
The Buffalo State women’s volleyball team had its hands full last week, competing in three matches and making a trip to Ohio to compete in the John Carroll Tri-Match. This week, they were in action on back-to-back nights, starting Friday night in Cortland against the defending SUNYAC champions.

This being the first game on the conference schedule, the Bengals wanted to make a statement, and it showed in the opening set. After a back-and-forth set, Buffalo State came through in the big moments to come out on the winning end, 26-24, to gain an early advantage over the Red Dragons. They continued to trade blows in the second set; however, a late surge by Cortland allowed them to even the match. The Bengals would play from behind through most of the third and fourth sets, and despite their unwavering determination, they would drop both of them to lose the match three sets to one.

A match less than 24 hours later left the Bengals no time to sulk over the loss, getting right back on the road to face SUNY Morrisville. Both sides came out hungry, creating multiple rallies before the Bengals put together a three-point rally down the stretch to take the opening set. The Mustangs got off to a strong start in the second set, and things could’ve turned into a repeat of the previous night in Cortland; however, the team hunkered down and fought back to even the set and eventually took it, 26-24. That left the third set, which was a breeze for the battle-tested Bengals, cruising to a 25-14 win to sweep Morrisville on their home floor. A much-needed victory for the squad, and the winning effort was led by their offensive star, Ella Whitman, who tallied 9 kills and 3 aces.

Alongside the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the Buffalo State women’s volleyball team gears up for the “Battle By The Lake” against Fredonia on Wednesday night, with home court advantage on their side.

Men’s & Women’s XC
After a two-week layoff, the men’s and women’s cross country teams returned on Saturday afternoon, heading down to Fredonia for the annual Fredonia Cross Country Invite.

On the men’s side, Josh Mayer was the first to cross the finish line for the Bengals, placing 10th with a time of 27:09, while Ricky Curiel was not too far behind, placing 12th with a time of 27:16. The rest of the team’s finishes would range from 35th to 90th, scoring them 126 points to earn the Bengals a 6th-place finish.

For the women, Jorja Smith got the team on the scoreboard with a 26th-place finish at a time of 26:20. The team would end up with 163 points for the invite, matching the men’s team with a 6th-place finish.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams’ next invite will be in the Buffalo area, as they travel just down the road to Canisius University on Saturday, October 18th.

Football
Coming off their first win of the 2025 campaign last week, the Bengals were looking to build off that success, and no better time to do it than on Homecoming weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Buffalo State played host to the Union College Garnet Chargers, who came in with an even 2-2 record.

The Buffalo State offense got off to a stagnant start in the first half, allowing Union to capitalize with the ball in their hands, scoring two TDs and taking a 14-0 lead into halftime. In a hurry, the Bengals’ offense went from stagnant to electric in the early moments of the second half. Just under three minutes in, quarterback Amir Cameron connected with senior wideout Noah Kimble for a 53-yard touchdown, making it a 14-6 ballgame with Buffalo State taking all the momentum. Unfortunately, the momentum didn’t last long as the following drive, the Garnet Chargers would find paydirt and never look back. With a final of 28-6, Union College spoiled the Bengals’ homecoming game, dropping them to 1-4 on the season.

To get the most in-depth analysis, check out fellow staff writer Matthew Barton’s breakdown of Saturday’s homecoming contest. The Buffalo State Bengals will go back on the road, still in search of a second win, next Saturday to face Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Another week down in the fall sports season, and although not every team was able to scratch out a win, it was still a Homecoming week to remember. Stay tuned for more of the Buffalo State Sports Round-up throughout October and the rest of the fall season.