NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The Niagara men’s soccer team (2-5-0) finishes their season-opening road stretch with a matchup at Cornell on Friday. This will be the eighth consecutive away game before Niagara holds their home opener against Siena on Sept. 26.
Niagara Notes
- The Purple Eagles are coming off a 1-0 loss to St. Bonaventure on Sept. 15. Luca Pacheco led the team against the Bonnies with three shots on goal.
- Mbongeni Tshuma is leading the team in points with three (1 G, 1 A). His goal and assist both came in Niagara’s victory over VMI on Sept. 9.
- Steve Casey has yet to sit a second, as he’s backstopped the Purple Eagles for all 648:09 minutes of the season so far.
Across The Pitch: Cornell Big Red (4-2-0)
- Cornell is coming off a comeback 2-1 victory against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday night. The Big Red scored goals in the 66th and 73rd minutes to complete the come-from-behind victory.
- This is the third year the Big Red are under the coaching of John Smith. After a 1-14-2 season in his first year, the team went 7-8-2 last season. This year, the squad needed two fewer games to record their fourth win of the season in comparison to last year.
- Niagara leads the all-time series with the Big Red 2-0-0. The first meeting took place in Ithaca on Sept. 2, 2011, with the Purple Eagles earning a 3-1 win. The most recent meeting was a 1-0 result at Niagara Field on Sept. 29, 2013.
