LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Niagara University men’s soccer team (4-10-2, 4-3-1) extended its unbeaten streak to a season-high three games, with a 2-0 win over Rider (0-14-2, 0-6-2) Friday at Rider Campus Field at Rider University.

Niagara sophomore defender Mark Spooner (Derby, England), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week, scored in the 29th minute to put the Purple Eagles ahead, 1-0. Twenty-yards away from the Broncs’ net, Spooner turned and shot the ball past Rider goalkeeper Brian Gill to score his fourth goal of the 2003 season. For Spooner, leading Niagara in points with 10, this was the second-straight contest in which the sophomore defender scored the game-winning goal for the Purple Eagles. In the Oct. 26 win over Manhattan, Spooner’s 30-yard free-kick goal proved to be the difference in the Purple Eagles’ 2-0 victory.

"I didn’t think we played our best today," Niagara head coach Dermot McGrane said. "But I was happy we managed to score on the opportunities presented."

Perhaps not at their best, Niagara was outshot in the contest, 22-11, but the Purple Eagles were able to prevail and capture their fourth MAAC victory.

Adding insurance to the Spooner goal, freshman forward Matt Stedman (Lockport, N.Y.) scored in the 52nd minute to give the Purple Eagles a 2-0 lead. Off assist passes from freshman midfielder Scott Devlin (Sarnia, Ont.) and Rafael Venturini (Vitoria, Brazil), Stedman shot the ball past Gill to score his first collegiate goal in the Niagara win.

With their two goals in Friday’s win over the Broncs, the Purple Eagles have scored six-straight unanswered goals, dating back to a 2-2 tie with Saint Peter’s College Oct. 24, and have found a late-season scoring touch following an early season streak of five games without scoring a goal.

Niagara junior goalkeeper Dan O’Shea (East Syracuse, N.Y.) made eight saves to pick up his second-straight shutout, fourth of the season. The junior goalkeeper has not allowed a goal in over 225 minutes, a credit to both O’Shea and the overall Niagara team defense. Gill made six saves for the Broncs.

The Purple Eagles return to the field Saturday, when they visit Loyola College at 1 p.m. at Curley Field on the Loyola campus. With Friday’s 2-0 win over Rider, Niagara is tied for fourth place in the MAAC standings with Saint Peter’s, both schools with 13 points in conference play (4-3-1).