Game Two of the 2012 Season

The Niagara women’s soccer team returns to action on Friday, Aug. 31 against the Duquesne Dukes at 7 p.m. before traveling to Buffalo on Sunday, Sept. 2 to take on the Buffalo Bulls at 7 p.m. 

The Purple Eagles are looking for their first win of the 2012 campaign, after dropping a close, 1-0 game to Binghamton last week in the season opener.   

Follow The Purple Eagles
Live Stats for Friday’s game against Duquesne and Sunday’s evening game against Buffalo will be available. To access live stats, please click on the appropriate link above. 

Scouting Duquesne

The Dukes welcome Niagara to Rooney Field with a record of 0-3-0.  The team is led by senior midfielder Morgan Herbert who has tallied the only goal of the season for two points.  Senior forward Paige Maroney is tops on the Dukes in shots with nine, while junior forward Stephanie Colon has had eight looks on net. 

Last Time Against the Dukes

The Purple Eagles and Dukes last met in the fall of 2010 during the Niagara University Fall Classic.  Niagara came out with a 2-1 triumph as senior forward Jamie Raepple scored the game-winning goal in double-overtime, securing the title for the team.  Junior forward Kayla Picano also tallied a goal in the win while fellow junior forward Breanna Catipovic contributed an assist. 

Taking a Look at Buffalo
The Bulls started the season with a 1-1-1 record, with their first win coming in a 2-0 victory over Canisius.  Sophomore forward Katie Roberts leads the team in goals (2) while senior forward Katie Kerr and rookie defender Kristin Markiewicz have each added a tally for the season.  Junior goalkeeper Ainsley Wheldon will likely earn the nod between the goal, having played every minute of the first three games, accumulating a 0.93 goals-against average, and an .842 save percentage.

All-Time Against the Bulls
This  will be the 15th time the two squads have faced each other, with Buffalo leading the series by a 20-10-1 record.  The last meeting between the Purple Eagles and Bulls was on Sept. 16, 2011 during the Big Four Classic, where the Bulls pulled out a 2-0 win over Niagara.

Last Time Out
Niagara opened the season with a home game against the Binghamton Bearcats where Niagara dropped a 1-0 decision to its non-conference foes.  The Purple Eagles came out strong in the opening half recording seven shots, but none which saw the back of the net. 

Senior forward Jamie Raepple saw four looks on net, while senior midfielder Michaela DeFazio and sophomore forward Catherine Meyer each had three shots.  Freshman goalkeeper Claire Feiertag recorded five saves in her collegiate debut. 

Rookie Makes NU Debut

Freshman Claire Feiertag made her collegiate debut in goal for the Purple Eagles in the home opener against Binghamton.  The Ridgeway, Ont. native collected five saves, including several key first half stops that kept the game scoreless heading into halftime.  

On The Road Again

The matchup against Duquesne marks the first of four road games to kick start the 2012 season.  After Sunday’s game against Buffalo, Niagara travels to Ohio for a game against the Ohio University on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. and wraps up its longest road trip of the season with a matchup against Youngstown State University on Sunday, September 9 at 4 p.m.  

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