NIAGARA UNIV. — The Niagara women’s soccer team takes its home pitch for the first time in over three weeks when it hosts Quinnipiac at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Senior forward Laura Ortiz leads the team with two goals and 15 total shots. Ortiz is tied for eighth-most goals in the MAAC. Sophomore goalie Shania van Nuland has recorded 25 saves so far this season and has a 1.79 goals against average, which ranks her sixth in the MAAC. Both the team and van Nuland are tied for first in the MAAC in shutouts with two.
Niagara fell to conference foe Manhattan, 3-1, in its first conference game of the season on Saturday. Freshman Hailey Bicknell scored the first goal of her collegiate career from 15 yards out in the 31st minute to get the Purple Eagles on the board and cut the Jaspers’ lead to 2-1. The majority of the game’s chances came in the first half with Niagara outshooting Manhattan 10-8, while there were only five combined shots in the second half for both teams. Manhattan finished off the Purple Eagles in the 83rd minute when they scored direct from a free kick.
The Purple Eagles and the Bobcats last met on Oct. 3, 2015 at Quinnipiac; the Purple Eagles defeated the Bobcats, 4-0. Niagara was led by Ortiz who scored two goals on three shots.
Quinnipiac leads the MAAC in both goals and assists with 17 of each. The Bobcats are tied for the third-most shots with 111. Nadya Gill is tied for most shots in the MAAC with 26 and is tied for second in goals with four. Ally Grunstein and Jess Fontaine have the most assists in the MAAC with four each.
Niagara takes on cross-town rival Canisius in the teams’ annual Battle of the Bridge meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The match will be broadcast on ESPN3. Following Canisius, the Purple Eagles host Rider at 1 p.m. Saturday.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
