NIAGARA UN., N.Y. – The women’s soccer team (7-5-1, 3-2-1) hosts cross-town rival Canisius College (5-10-1, 2-3-1) Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in a game with heavy postseason implications. The contest is a makeup game that was rescheduled due to the crippling snow storm that hit Western New York earlier this month.

Sitting in a tie for fourth place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Purple Eagles look to get a step ahead of Manhattan and Canisius for the fourth and final playoff spot. With a win, Niagara will hold the tie-breaker over both schools with head-to-head victories. If the Golden Griffins are victorious, however, the schools will be in a three-way tie with two contests to play.

The Purple Eagles will take Niagara Field looking to win its first game since a 6-2 win at Rider on Oct. 6. Niagara has gone 0-3-1 since winning a season-high four games in a row.

Niagara will rely on its offensive attack to break its recent slide. The Purple Eagles are first in the MAAC averaging 3.0 goals per game and second with 2.36 assists per game.

Junior Brittany Bisnott (Brampton, Ont.) and sophomore Stephanie Gartley (Sarnia, Ont.) continue to gain all-conference support by leading the Purple Eagles and the conference in numerous categories. Gartley is first in the MAAC with 31 points while Bisnott’s 30 points are good for second. Bisnott is the conference leader with 14 goals to Gartley’s 13. Last week, Gartley led the team with three scores.

Senior Emily Montgomery (Oshawa, Ont.) ranks fourth in the MAAC with 1.43 points per game. Junior Natalie Frost (Elmira, N.Y.) leads the team with seven assists and ranks second in the conference with 0.50 per game.

Freshman keeper Sarah Stephens (Toledo, Ohio) made 11 saves last week. She has started every game in net for the Purple Eagles.

Canisius split its weekend set with Marist and Siena. Senior Jenna Gage made four saves against the Red Foxes, posting her fourth shutout of the year. That mark is good for second in the conference. Senior Heidi Wein made her second career goal the game winner. Junior Stephanie Karst leads the team with five goals, two assists and 12 points.

The Purple Eagles lead the all-time series with the Golden Griffins, 16-11-0. Niagara holds a five-game winning streak over the Golden Griffins, including two victories last year, a 3-0 shutout in Buffalo and a 6-3 win in the MAAC Tournament first round.