NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s soccer team (1-7-1, 1-0-0 MAAC) started out Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a win, as it defeated crosstown rival Canisius (1-7-2, 0-1-0), 3-2, Tuesday at Niagara Field.
Junior midfielder Simon Adair (Oakville, Ont.) netted his second goal of the contest in the 79th minute to put the Purple Eagles up for good at 3-2 and secured Niagara’s first win of the season. In a goalmouth scramble, Adair drove a low shot into the right side of the Canisius net, beating the Golden Griffins’ defense.
"Our team has been missing a lot of chances in the previous games and finally they just started to go in," Adair said following the victory.
And go in they did.
Down 2-0 early into the second half, the Purple Eagles continued to show valiant effort in every attempt to get back into the game, when they could have folded and given up.
"Today’s a new season, as we start conference play, and we showed a lot of character to come back from two goals down," head coach Dermot McGrane said.
After Adair scored in the 65th minute on a follow-up header to put the score at 2-1, the momentum seemed to swing to the side of the Purple Eagles.
In the 76th minute, a Canisius foul just outside its penalty box gave Niagara a free-kick opportunity 20 yards away from the Golden Griffins’ net. In the 76th minute, freshman forward Rafael Venturi (Vitoria, Brazil) sent a brilliant, curving shot over the Canisius wall and into the left side into the Golden Griffins’ net, beating a diving Dan Panaro, Canisius goalkeeper. The score by Venturini, the first of his career, tied the score at 2-2, just three minutes before the eventual game-winner by Adair.
"That second goal (by Canisius) I thought was going to be a back-breaker for us," McGrane said. "We did very well to score after that."
Midfielder Chris Robey netted both goals for the Golden Griffins, his sixth and seventh of the season.
In the contest, Niagara out shot Canisius 16-12, with shots on goal 5-3 in favor of the Purple Eagles as well.
Niagara junior goalkeeper Dan O’Shea (East Syracuse, N.Y.) had one save in the win. Panaro saved three shots for Canisius.
"It was an overall team effort and we’re ready to go in the MAAC season," Venturini said of the Purple Eagles victory.
In the midst of a three-game homestand, Niagara faces Marist Friday at 3 p.m. at Niagara Field. Admission to the game is free.
