By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — The day before St. Bonaventure’s Atlantic 10 home-opener, head coach Mick Giordano had agreed to facilitate an extra shooting practice session with Seth Hammond and Dean Mercer.
They were focussed on volleys. Even more specifically, they were doing so on the southeast side of the Marra Athletic Field.
Coincidentally enough, it was a volley apiece from Hammond and Mercer, on that southeast side of the field, late in the second half, that saw the Bonnies collect their first A10 win of the Giordano era, a 2-1 comeback victory over George Washington.
“We just worked on those finishes, both (Seth) and Dean, together, we had a little extra finishing session yesterday, outside of training, just for 20 minutes,” Giordano said. “Those are some of the finishes we worked on, ironic enough, and both capitalized off it on the same goal. It was perfect.”
The number of opportunities were lopsided in favor of Bona throughout the first half, and despite the score still at 0-0 at the intermission, it looked as though it was just a matter of time before the hosts found the back of the net.
“It’s really difficult to break down a team that is stingy and that is dedicated to sit behind (the ball),” Giordano said. “You have to manufacture the tempo, that was a big thing we talked about this week coming into this game. … We definitely gave some opportunities away and left some on the table, but it was an unbelievably stingy effort from George Washington, and it was just about really trying to pull them apart.”
But just seven minutes out of the break, it was the Revolutionaries that struck first.
An inswinging free kick from Finn Roberts on the right wing was well-placed enough so that all Tommaso Lami needed to do was direct it past Bona’s Felix Schöne. From there, the Revs pushed more and the Bonnies spent a grand majority of the second half defending their own net, a stark contrast to the first 45 minutes. But fortunately enough, their defensive unit held strong and weathered the storm.
“I was certainly pleased with it,” Giordano said of his team’s defensive effort. “For sure, we could tidy up a few things and shore up a few things, always. We continue to try and make sure we limit opportunities and limit the opposition, and ultimately, that’s the main thing. If we can limit them as much as possible, we give ourselves a chance. We’ve got to continue to try and do that and buy into the defending aspect of everything.”
Eventually, Bona was able to find a foothold in the game, post-GW’s surge. And with just 15 minutes left to play, it was as if a switch flipped. A palpable desperation and desire to get something out of the game urged the hosts forward.
With just 11 minutes left, the Bonnies were rewarded for that effort as Hammond, off an assist from Hugo Berville, laced a volley past the outstretched hand of GW’s goalkeeper and into the top right corner.
“It’s a special bond that I’m fortunate to have,” Giordano said of Hammond. “I continue to say it, and I think people are starting to believe it: there’s no one more competitive than (Seth). … He will do anything to make it happen for the team. He continues to drive us forward. … What a goal, what a moment. I’m just unbelievably proud. He continues to be able to deliver for us, and he’s continued to earn it with the extra work he continues to put in.”
St. Bonaventure’s Seth Hammond (10) brings the ball upfield against George Washington. Hammond scored the Bonnies’ first goal of the night in their victory over the Revolutionaries. (St. Bonaventure Athletics)
The Bona faithful, plentiful in numbers, erupted in response. But it’s team was not done there.
The Bonnies wanted more than a tie, and just three minutes later, they saw those desires come to fruition as Mercer collected a poor clearance from GW on the edge of the penalty area, sold a defender on a fake shot before firing a volley into the bottom left corner.
The goal sealed the win for the hosts, and for Giordano, he knows this result has the opportunity to be massive for the program.
“Sometimes you get to look back at the end of the year and you say, these are the turning points, and you never really get to appreciate them in the middle of it,” Giordano said. “This is one of those (moments) we can certainly say this might be, and hopefully is, the turning point. … The boys continue to do one thing, it’s the next-man-up mentality. We were missing a few guys again tonight, smaller numbers, and they continue to step up.”
But there was more to the spectacle of the night than just a tally in the win column. What transcends the result, according to Giordano, is how this type of win hardens and emphasizes the bond and brotherhood within this team.
“I can’t really say enough about the way they continue to buy into each other,” Giordano said. “It’s not even just to the program or to a certain thing we’re saying, they buy into each other. You see that in the celebrations, you see that in the excitement. It’s about them understanding, ‘I’m going to do this for this person here,’ and ‘this is so much bigger than me as an individual.’ So, it just means so much, and it really just humbles you as a coach to see what they continue to do and what they continue to believe in for each other, not just for me or for the program, but for the guys that are their brothers, the ones they share the changing room with.”
Giordano and his Bonnies, now 3-4-2, will be in search of their first consecutive wins of the season next time out, in their final non-conference game of the regular season, on the road against Cleveland State on Sept. 30 at 6 p.m.
