LEWISTON, N.Y. – A goal by freshman forward Brittany Bisnott (Brampton, Ont.) with two seconds remaining in regulation led the Niagara University women’s soccer team (5-3-0, 1-0-0) to a 3-2 win over crosstown-rival Canisius College (1-7-0, 0-1-0) Tuesday at Lewiston-Porter High School Stadium.
With the score knotted at 2-2 and overtime inevitable entering the final 30 seconds of regulation, Bisnott ran onto a ball in the Golden Griffins’ penalty box, holding off two Canisius defenders in the process. Accelerating from the defense after her first touch, Bisnott took a low shot past a diving Jenna Gage in the Canisius net, scoring her eighth goal of the season at the 89:58 mark of the contest. The goal was the first game-winning goal of Bisnott’s collegiate career.
"I got a good ball and was open," Bisnott said following the game.
Niagara took a 1-0 lead early in the contest when junior forward Brittany Younglove (Red Creek, N.Y.) finished a loose ball deep in the Canisius box in the 16th minute. Younglove’s goal was her fourth of the season.
Ten minutes following the Younglove goal, Griffs sophomore forward Heidi Wein tied the game with a driven shot to the left corner of the net, beating Niagara goalkeeper Katy Owings (Annapolis, Md.) high.
The Purple Eagles retook the lead in the 35th minute, with Bisnott capitalizing on a one-on-one opportunity near the left edge of the Griffs penalty box. Running onto a lead pass by teammate Jenna Sporta (Oakville, Ont.), Bisnott chipped the ball past a charging Gage, giving Niagara a 2-1 lead heading into the second half.
Canisius tied the game just four minutes into the second half when Griffs sophomore Brittany Ponzi took advantage of turnover in the Purple Eagles’ defensive third and beat a retreating Owings in the Niagara net. The score remained tied leading up to Bisnott’s second goal of the contest.
Following the win, the Purple Eagles became the first team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to earn a league victory, much to the delight of Niagara head coach Peter Veltri.
"It’s always nice to get your first MAAC win," Veltri said. "Anytime you beat your rival (Canisius), that’s a good thing . We played well for majority of the game, but we need to cut down on the mistakes before we get into more of our MAAC games."
The Purple Eagles outshot Canisius, 20-9, in the game, with Owings making two saves to pick up her fifth win of the season. Gage made three saves in the loss.
Returning to action Friday, Niagara hosts the University at Buffalo at Niagara Field for a non-conference game against the Bulls at 3:30 p.m. Admission to the game is free.
