NIAGARA UNIVERSITY – The Purple Eagles (1-2) earned their first win of the 2023 season with a 1-0 decision over Saint Francis (0-3) in Thursday nights home opener. Emily Hähnel scored the game’s lone goal in the 39th minute, her second of the season.
How it Happened
Niagara came out firing in Thursday’s non-conference matchup, recording three shots in the first four minutes of action, including a solid right-footed effort from Emma Bough that the SFU keeper stopped. NU keep the pressure on with shots from Isabella Mazzaferro and Maia MacLean in the 13th and 18th minutes of play.
In the 27th minute of action, Hähnel put a header off the near-side woodwork, a shot that would have given Niagara a 1-0 lead over the Red Flash. However, that go-ahead goal came in the 39th minute when Amanda Cripps found her teammate Hähnel in the box who redirected the ball into the near side to put the Purple and White on top by one.
The Purple and White would only take three more shots in the final 51 minutes, including efforts from Bough and Katie Diem in the first half and MacLean in the second.
Niagara’s starting keeper Felicia Grufman, picked up the clean sheet with two saves on five Red Flash shot attempts.
Niagara Notes
• NU improves to 11-3 all-time against Saint Francis.
• The Purple Eagles are unbeaten in their last seven games at home dating back to last season.
• Hähnel’s goal in the 39th minute was her second of the season and third of her Purple Eagle career.
• Cripps was awarded the assist on the Hähnel goal, her first of the season.
• The clean sheet for Grufman is the eighth of her career.
Up Next
• The Purple and White will remain home to take on newly Division I Le Moyne on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 2 p.m.. The game will be streamed live on the Niagara Sports Network.
Stay connected with Niagara Women’s Soccer onX (Formerly Twitter)andInstagram. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long onX (Formerly Twitter),Instagram,Facebook, andpurpleeagles.com.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.
