EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Niagara women’s soccer team held the Michigan State Spartans scoreless through a full 90 minutes and two overtimes, ending its season-opening game in a 0-0 draw.


Game Summary
  • Final Score: 0-0, 2OT
  • Niagara Goal Scorers: None
  • Niagara Assists: None
  • In GoalShania van Nuland (0-0-1), 0 Goals Against, 4 Saves
  • Records: Niagara (0-0-1), Michigan State (0-0-1)
  • Location: DeMartin Stadium – East Lansing, Mich.
  • Attendance: 639


Game Recap
  • In the first half, Niagara outshot Michigan State 6-2 and held a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal.
  • The Purple Eagles ended regulation with 15 shots total and nine shots on goal. The Spartans had six total shots, with three on goal. Overall, Niagara outshot the Spartans 17-12 with 10 shots on goal.
  • Kelsey Lafferty had a team-high three shots, and she and Eva Bachmann each had a team-high two shots on goal.
  • Early in the second half, Amanda Gallo and Assia Sidhoum put two shots on goal within 58 seconds; both were saved by Michigan State goalkeeper Kaitlyn Collin.
  • In the 76th minute, Kori Thorne took a shot, which was blocked, and five seconds later, Lafferty made an attempt, which was saved by Collin.
  • Amelia Gulley had the last chance in the first 90 minutes, taking a shot which was saved with 53 seconds remaining.
  • Eva Bachmann took Niagara’s final shot with a little under two minutes remaining in the second overtime.

Coach’s Corner
  • “So proud of the girls; they played their butts off today,” said Niagara head coach Peter Veltri. “To go on the road and play MSU on opening weekend and come away with a tie is a great start for us. We had some excellent opportunities to score throughout the game and defensively, we played very well. It was great to see Shania (van Nuland) come up big when we needed it most. Great start!”


News & Notes
  • Goalkeeper Shania van Nuland, in the first appearance of her collegiate career, played a full 110 minutes in the goal and earned her first career shutout.
  • Freshman defender Hadley Bucken played the full 110 minutes in her first collegiate start.


Up Next
  • The Purple Eagles begin a four-game home stand, hosting the Binghamton Bearcats in their home opener on Sunday, August 21 at 1:00 pm.