St. Mary’s Bull stumps Manitou Springs in first varsity start in net
Adam Bull didn’t say much of anything leading up to St. Mary’s season opener against Manitou Springs at the Grace Center. For the past three years he has served as the backup goalkeeper for the Pirates, but on Tuesday night the senior was finally given his shot to shine.
Sixteen saves later and a St. Mary’s 4-1 victory proved Bull did more than simply shine; he dominated in his first varsity start despite feeling those initial butterflies.
“It’s a good feeling to get that (in) my first varsity start,” Bull said. “I couldn’t think about anything but this.”
Bull helped hold off a Manitou Springs (1-2) offensive onslaught in the second half after St. Mary’s (1-0) opened up a 3-0 lead in the first half. The Mustangs tried to cut into the deficit in the opening minutes of the second half when leading scorer Josh Elkington was robbed by Bull on a penalty kick.
No one knew what to expect from St. Mary’s senior keeper, but the penalty kick save had Diego Zapata believing.
“I was shocked to be honest,” Zapata said. “I didn’t think he would play this good, especially on that penalty save.”
Bull also began to demonstrate more and more confidence as the game went on, even charging out of his crease midway through the second half to make a sliding grab on a loose ball.
Zapata gave the Pirates’ inexperienced keeper an early 1-0 lead seven minutes into the game when he found the back of the net on a dribbler from the left side that sneaked past Manitou goalkeeper Carter Sandras (8 saves).
Fellow sophomore Chris Condon made it 2-0 in the 34th minute when he fired a laser off Sandras’ hand.
Zapata made a beautiful drop pass five minutes later from the right side to a sprinting Josh Fowler and the junior did the rest by banging home a goal into the right corner for the 3-0 lead.
Bull began to take over the game shortly after, stoning Elkington with a minute remaining in the first half and becoming a shot-swallowing machine in the second half.
Bull’s stoic performance in net also helped give St. Mary’s coach Robert Kennedy, a former goalkeeping coach, his first win at the helm of the Pirates.
“I am glad to work him and to give him the confidence he needed,” Kennedy said. “I told him he is going to be a superstar this year and in the first game he’s proven to himself and myself he can be.”
Zapata is coming off a 12-goal freshman campaign last year, and he scored his second goal of 2014 in the 56th minute.
Elkington ended Bull’s shutout bid by scoring his seventh goal of the season, but that was all Manitou Springs could muster against St. Mary’s raging Bull.
“Phenomenal. My hat is off to him,” Mustangs coach Ben Mack said. “That guy saved their butt.”
Zapata said that if it weren’t for Bull, the Pirates would be 0-1.
“I thought they were going to come back in the second half,” Zapata said. “If Adam wasn’t in there, they would have beat us 6-3, 7-3.”
St. Mary’s Matt Weldele kicks the ball down field against Manitou Springs Frank Barton during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. See gazettedev.gazette.com for photo gallery. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Chris Condon moves the ball down field against Manitou Springs during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Matt Weldele kicks the ball down field against Manitou Springs Frank Barton during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Josh Fowler battles a Manitou Springs player for the ball during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Matthew Heery, left, battles Manitou Springs’ Darwin Fredrickson for the ball during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Matthew Heery kicks the ball past Manitou Springs’ Johnathan Gerdes during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Thomas O’Connor kicks the ball down field against Manitou Springs during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Manitou Springs’ Gunnar Svenby, left, and another Mustang player battle St. Mary’s Josh Fowler for the ball during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Chris Condon celebrates after scoring against Manitou Springs during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Joe Wahl kicks the ball down field against Manitou Springs during the second half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Josh Fowler, left, celebrates with teammate Chris Condon after he scored against Manitou Springs during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s goal keeper Adam Bull jumps to make a save against Manitou Springs during the second half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Josh Fowler heads the ball over Manitou Springs’ Chad Forsett during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Chris Condon moves the ball down field against Manitou Springs during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Joe Wahl, left, battles Manitou Springs Leland Spangler for the ball during the second half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Chris Condon smiles after scoring against Manitou Springs during the second half to give the Pirates a 4-0 lead Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s goal keeper Adam Bull kicks the ball down field against Manitou Springs during the second half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Thomas O’Conner kicks through the defense of Manitou Springs’ Josh Elkington, left, and Frank Barton during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Manitou Springs’ Teddy Weiss, left, St. Mary’s Greg Cichon, Manitou Springs’ Gunnar Svenby and St. Mary’s Diego Zapata battle for the ball during the first half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
St. Mary’s Nick Francis kicks the ball down field against Manitou Springs during the second half Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at the Grace Center in Colorado Springs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
