Niagara women’s soccer flies south for two matches in The Sunshine State

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — After earning a pair of home victories last week, the Niagara Purple Eagles return to the road for a pair of games in Florida this weekend. Niagara travels to Fort Myers to battle Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night before taking on Florid Atlantic on Sunday afternoon in Boca Raton.
 
Scene Setter

• Niagara comes into the weekend on a two-game winning streak after earning a pair of victories on the newly renovated Niagara Field. 
• The Purple Eagles will look to earn their first victory against a team from the Sunshine State. The team is 0-2-0 all-time against teams from Florida, falling to Jacksonville and South Florida in 2013.
• Niagara is looking for its first three-game winning streak since winning three straight from Sept. 1-8, 2017 against Robert Morris, Akron and Fairleigh Dickinson. 

 
Kickoff Tidbits

• The Purple Eagles earned a 2-0 victory over Cleveland State to break in the newly renovated Niagara Field on Aug. 23. Ibey scored her first two collegiate goals while Sabrina Locas recorded three saves to earn the shutout, her first of the young season.
• Niagara earned their second straight victory on Aug. 23, an overtime thriller over the Robert Morris Colonials. The victory marked the team’s first regular season overtime victory since defeating Canisius in double overtime in 1-0 fashion on Oct. 21, 2015.  
• Hailey Bicknell and Veda Hensel scored in regulation before Alexis Horwedel tapped in the game-winning goal in the 95^th minute.

 
Ibey Earns Conference Honors

• Freshman forward Annie Ibey earned her first MAAC accolade on Monday, receiving MAAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Week.
• The freshman from Niagara Falls, Ont. Finished the week with five points, including her first two collegiate goals in Niagara’s 2-0 victory over Cleveland State on Aug. 23.

 
Across The Pitch
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (2-0-0)

• The Eagles are coming off a 2017 season that featured their 11^th straight season with double-digit wins and fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Florida Gulf Coast will be looking for their third consecutive win to open their season after earning victories against Georgia Southern and Alabama.
• Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck earned ASUN Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday. She earned 5 saves in the win over Alabama, the program’s first-ever road win against an SEC opponent.
• Evdokia Popadinova and Marjorie Boilesn lead the Eagles in points with 5, each recording two goals and an assist.
• This marks the first ever matchup between Niagara and Florida Gulf Coast.

  
Across The Pitch
Florida Atlantic Owls (1-1-0)

• The Owls earned their first victory of the season at home against Denver on Aug. 23 by a final score of 2-1.
• Florida Atlantic has played a pair of nationally-ranked opponents this season. The Owls fell to the #7 Florida Gators on Aug. 19 by a score of 4-2, before falling to the #17 Baylor Bears on Aug. 26, 1-0.
• Tirill Haga leads the team in points (two goals, one assist), while Mary O’Hara has added three points (one goal, one assist) for the Owls this season.
• Sunday’s match will be the first between Niagara and Florida Atlantic.