The Niagara men’s soccer team concludes its three-game home stand Thursday when they play the University at Buffalo Bulls. The game will be under the lights at Niagara Field, starting at 7 p.m. Niagara dropped two one-goal decisions to open the home stand, falling 3-2 to NJIT and 1-0 to Saint Francis.
Thursday’s match, which is set to be televised locally on LCTV (Channel 20), will be the Purple Eagles’ first against a Big 4 rival this season. Last season, Niagara traveled to UB and trailed at halftime 2-0, but tied it up in the closing minutes at 2-2 on a goal by Bautista Pedezert. The Bulls have come running out of the gate this season winning each of their first six games, their best start since 2005 when they began 8-0.
In Thursday night’s game, the Purple Eagles can claim the Big 4 Shield with a win over Buffalo.
First awarded in 2014, Niagara competes with Buffalo, Canisius, and St. Bonaventure for the Big 4 Shield as an award for victory in a local rivalry matchup.
Niagara won the inaugural Big 4 Shield match against Buffalo in a 2-1 victory on Sept. 12, 2014.
Buffalo took control of the Shield in 2015, and after a 2-2 tie with Niagara on Sept. 20, 2015, the Bulls retained the title on a penalty kick shootout.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
