The Niagara men’s soccer team will close a three-game road trip in Lawrenceville, New Jersey against conference foe the Rider Broncs. The Purple Eagles are coming off an overtime thriller win, in which they beat the Quinnipiac Bobcats 1-0. The game will kick off at 1:00pm Saturday afternoon.
In its first conference match of the season, Niagara beat Quinnipiac 1-0 in overtime. The Bobcats held the offensive advantage for all of the first half, producing six shots, with four on goal. Goalkeeper Steve Casey made sure none of the shots touched the net, allowing a 0-0 score at halftime. Niagara put its first shot on goal 1:15 into the second half; a corner kick from Josh Tufino to teammate Shiquan Lowe. Multiple Purple Eagles had shots on goal throughout the second half, but Bobcats’ goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis denied all of them, finishing regulation with five saves. Niagara held strong in the overtime period, allowing Quinnipiac zero shots on goal, while tacking on two of their own. Bautista Pedezert lined up for a free kick 25 yards out, after a yellow card was attained by the Bobcats. Pedezert squeezed the free kick past goalie Iakovidis, giving the Purple Eagles a 1-0 overtime victory.
The Purple Eagles have moved up in to fourth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 1.09 goals per game. Steve Casey held the Bobcats scoreless in their game on Sep. 25, and now holds three shutouts in the MAAC, which ranks him tied for second in the conference; Niagara has a shutout percentage 0.38, which ranks third in the conference. Niagara’s offense has been very efficient in their attacks, only being called for offsides five times this season, a conference low. Mackenzie Roach currently leads Niagara in scoring with five points (two goals, one assist) through eight matches. Teammates Bautista Pedezert, Absalom Solorio, Konrad Zydowicz, and Mbongeni Tshuma all have three points on the season (one goal, one assist).
Niagara goalkeeper Steve Casey was named the Defensive Player of the Week by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) this past week. Casey received his second win of the season, after producing five saves en route to an overtime win against Quinnipiac on Sept. 25. His five saves ties his season-high, and is now 2-4-1 on the season with a .750 save percentage. This is the second MAAC honor by a Niagara men’s soccer player, where freshman Mackenzie Roach earned Rookie of the Week honors on Aug. 29.
Rider is coming into Saturday’s contest off of a home win against Big East team Seton Hall from Sep. 27. Broncs’ Christian Flath, Elliott Otmani, Jose Aguinaga are all ranked in the top 10 in assists in the MAAC. Goalkeeper Ryan Baird ranks third in save percentage (0.816), fifth in saves per game (3.88), and fifth in total saves (31) in the MAAC. Rider holds one of the best offenses in the conference, ranking second in team assists per game (1.38) and points per game (4.38). The Broncs hold a 0.50 shutout percentage, which leads all teams in the MAAC.
Last year, Rider defeated the Purple Eagles at Niagara.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
