NIAGARA UN., N.Y. – The women’s soccer team (8-6-1, 4-2-1) is set to wrap up its regular season on the road with two pivotal contests against Iona College (3-10-4, 1-4-2) Friday and Fairfield University (8-5-4, 4-1-2) Sunday. The Purple Eagles sit alone in fourth place and, by holding the tiebreakers over the three teams trailing them in the standings, are on the verge of clinching the final playoff spot.

With a win over Iona, coupled with a Manhattan loss to conference-leading Loyola on Friday, Niagara would clinch a berth into the MAAC Championships for the second-straight year. By defeating Manhattan, Rider and Canisius earlier this season, the three teams still alive for the final spot, Niagara holds a distinct advantage with the tiebreakers.

By averaging 3.1 goals per game, Niagara possesses the No. 1 offense in the MAAC. The Purple Eagles are second in the league with 38 assists.

Niagara’s Brittany Bisnott (Brampton, Ont.) and Stephanie Gartley (Sarnia, Ont.) added to their league-leading offensive stats in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Canisius. The forwards are tied for the MAAC lead with 34 points and sit one and two in goals scored. Bisnott’s 16 leads the way over Gartley’s 14 tallies.

Senior Emily Montgomery (Oshawa, Ont.) ranks fourth in the MAAC with 22 points. The midfielder has scored a goal and assisted on three others in her last three games. Her eight assists is a team best while being tied for second in the conference. Junior Natalie Frost (Elmira, N.Y.) has added seven assists in 15 starts this season. Sophomore Caitlin Long (Fort Collins, Colo.) chips in with 10 points on two goals and six assists.

Goalkeeper Sarah Stephens (Toledo, Ohio) made four saves to earn her eighth career win on Tuesday. The freshman has played in every game for the Purple Eagles this season, recording 81 saves with a 2.20 goals-against average.

Iona has not scored a goal in five-straight contests coming into Friday’s action, going 0-4-1 in those games. The 489-minute scoreless streak is the longest in the MAAC this year. In the Gaels’ lone MAAC win this season, Laura McCoy scored the games only goal in the 71st minute. McCoy leads the team with eight points, however, Maggie Prairie and Mariel Pepe have scored a team-high three goals. Suzanne Baldissard owns a 1.17 goals-against average in net.

Faifield sits at third place in the MAAC, one point ahead of Niagara with 14. Sunday’s matchup will pit the conference’s top four scorers head-to-head, as Stag freshman Casey Frobey shares the field with Bisnott, Gartley and Montgomery. Frobey’s 26 points leads the team and is third in the conference. Brett Maron boasts a league-best 0.96 goals-against average.

The Purple Eagles lead the all-time series with the Gaels, 9-6-1, including a 2-1 victory last year on the strength of Long’s two goals. Despite defeating Faifield in the 2005 regular season, the Stags won the rematch in the MAAC Championship game, 2-1. Fairfield holds the series advantage 13-3-0.