Box Score INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – A header from senior defender Brandon Fricke in overtime put a dramatic end to a 2-1 Butler victory in a physical matchup with Evansville at the Butler Bowl on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The win lifted the Bulldogs to 4-2-3 on the season.
Coming out of regulation tied 1-1, the Bulldogs struck early in the overtime period. A corner kick from junior forward Jeff Adkins found Fricke and he headed it into the right side of the goal after just one minute of play. The game-winner was the first goal of the season for the co-captain Fricke.
In the final non-conference match of the year, the Bulldogs posted their strongest offensive performance yet, firing off a season-high 22 shots and placing 11 on-goal. The aggressive attack was led by freshman midfielder Eric Leonard, who scored Butler's first goal at the 26-minute mark on a fast break from ten yards out. Freshman forward Joey Bastian picked up an assist on the goal, which marked Leonard's first of the season.
Evansville goalkeeper Eric Teppen finished the match with nine saves, including a stop on a header from sophomore forward David Goldsmith in the 86th minute. The Purple Aces grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the 19th minute off a header from Nick Schroeder.
"I thought it was a great performance tonight," Butler head coach Paul Snape said. "We gave up the goal but it was great response. Our whole group, our ball circulation and our ability to create chances was probably our best of the season."
Adkins and junior midfielder Vincent Mitchell each posted a game-high five shots for the Bulldogs, placing a combined four attempts on-goal. Bastian contributed two shots of his own, and Goldsmith added four more shot attempts to the Butler total.
"Goldsmith today was fantastic," Snape added after the game. "He didn't score but he did everything else and I thought Joey Bastian had his best game of the year. They give us another dimension and our wingers, Jeff [Adkins] and Vinny [Mitchell], they caused a lot of problems and our back line just keeps getting better and better."
The Bulldogs will open their BIG EAST schedule this weekend with a home match against #11 Georgetown on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Butler Bowl. The game will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Contact: Mike Murtaugh (mmurtaug@butler.edu)
