Senior defender Michael Burger had two goals in the loss to Siena |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s soccer team (1-9-1, 1-2-0 MAAC) lost 4-2 to Siena College (3-7-1, 2-1-1 MAAC) Sunday at Niagara Field.
Siena sprinted out to a four-goal lead over the Purple Eagles, thanks to three goals by Saints’ midfielder Delmiro Fernandez. Fernandez opened up scoring with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, finishing a cross from teammate Kris Dillmann in front of the Niagara net. Giving up a late first-half goal has been a common occurrence for the Purple Eagles in recent games, as Niagara has allowed a goal with less than five minutes remaining in the half in three of the last five contests. Fernandez capped off his scoring by adding two header goals early into the second half to give the Saints a commanding 3-0 lead.
"We were completely outplayed and outworked by Siena today," head coach Dermot McGrane said. "We can’t expect to win games putting forth that kind of effort."
Siena midfielder John Witkiewicz added a header goal to put the Saints up 4-0.
Down by an insurmountable lead of four goals, Niagara began chipping away at the deficit in the 63rd minute. Senior defender Michael Burger’s (Logansport, Ind.) diving header on a crossed ball by sophomore defender Mark Spooner (Derby, England) beat Saints’ goalkeeper Patrick Henry and the Siena defense to put the score at 4-1. Burger added a second goal in the 88th minute by finishing a loose ball in front of the Saints’ net, but the four-goal lead by Siena proved to be too much.
In the game, Siena out shot Niagara, 19-9, with eight shots on goal compared to five by the Purple Eagles. Burger led Niagara with four shots in the contest.
Henry made three saves for the Saints in picking up his third win of the season. Junior goalkeeper Dan O’Shea (East Syracuse, N.Y.) made four saves for the Purple Eagles.
Niagara looks to get back to .500 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play when it travels to Iona College Friday. In last season’s contest with the Gaels, the Purple Eagles won 2-1 in overtime, with two goals by Burger.
