CINCINNATI – Wright State freshman Jalim Bayo earned praise from his more experienced teammates heading into the 2014 season for his abilities on the pitch. Two games into the season, he has not disappointed.
On a sticky Cincinnati evening, Bayo scored the game-tying goal in the 56th minute helping WSU earn a 1-1 tie against the Cincinnati Bearcats Monday.
Bayo played 73 minutes in Monday’s contest and made his impact known pushing the pace of play throughout the entire match.
“We were right,” Wright State captain Gustav Svensson said. “He is fast, he is skilled with the ball, he is a good fit for our team.”
Bayo’s speed and ability to drive the ball towards the net fits the mold for the Raiders this year as the squad has opted to play a more fast-paced brand of soccer.
“With the coaches, the emphasis is the tempo of the game,” Bayo said. “Get the ball off your feet and fast paced, that is what we have been working on in practice.”
Bayo said upperclassmen like Svensson have made him feel welcome to WSU and the men’s soccer program.
“They are the best guys you could ask for,” Bayo said. “It has been easy to fit in, everything was just easy. If you mess up, they’ll get on you but if you do good, they are going to be your biggest fan.”
Bayo’s goal Monday came at a critical time in the match. Four minutes before Bayo’s goal, Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead as Alejandro Garcia sent a cross into John Manga who beat defender Emeka Ononye and WSU goalkeeper Tyler Blackmer for the tally.
Bayo’s goal was unassisted as he won a loose ball and beat all UC defenders and flipped a shot over the challenging UC goalkeeper.
“The best part about (Bayo) is he is a tremendous man,” Wright State head coach Bryan Davis said. “He is very humble, quiet and does his job. He is getting better and better. But we have a lot of good young guys.”
Another young player Davis pointed out was AJ Paterson who came off the bench and played most of Monday’s contest notching several shots.
As the night wore on, more and more players started feeling the affects of the heat and humidity. A number of athletes on both squads began cramping slowing the pace of the game down.
Davis said the affects of Monday’s weather had an impact on both teams. But Svensson believes playing a more up-tempo style benefits WSU when playing in humid conditions.
“It is good because if we keep the ball, we don’t have to run as much, the other team has to run more” Svensson said. “If we chase the ball, it is harder for us.”
Both head coaches in Monday’s match had connections to the opposing program. Davis played a season at Cincinnati before transferring to Wisconsin. UC head coach Hylton Dayes coached both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at WSU after playing 1982-85 with WSU.
WSU returns home Friday to host Robert Morris at 5 p.m. at Alumni Field.
