NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - Despite two goals by junior Stephen Kauble (Canal Winchester, Ohio), the Niagara men’s soccer team (2-7-1, 0-2) was unable to defeat an opportunistic Marist squad (4-5-2, 1-1-1) as the Purple Eagles fell to the Red Foxes, 3-2, Friday afternoon at Niagara Field.

As has been the case in its last few games, Niagara conceded the first goal when Marist striker Joe Touloumis sent a ball across the six-yard box that NU’s John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.) was unable to corral. Marist’s Corey Perkins pounced on the rebound to put the Red Foxes up 1-0 at the 26:38 mark. Less than a minute later, Marist scored in virtually the same manner, but this time it was Touloumis heading in the rebound off Perkins’ shot.

Niagara nearly notched a goal before half time, but freshman Levi Tesch’s (Wolcott, N.Y.) free kick at the 33:12 mark whistled just wide of the goal.

Niagara, which held a 14-4 shot advantage in the second half, finally got on the scoreboard at the 59:59 mark. NU was awarded a penalty kick after a Marist defender handled the ball in the box. Kauble calmly placed the ball into the corner of the net to give Niagara its first goal of the game. Kauble’s second goal came six minutes later and tied the game at 2-2. Following a shot by Tesch that Marist’s goalkeeper batted down, Kauble collected the rebound, found some room and drove a low shot into the right side netting for his team-leading fifth goal of the season. It marked the second time this year that Kauble has recorded a multiple-goal game, as he also notched a pair of goals against Robert Morris on Sept. 30.

However the tie didn’t last long, as barely two minutes later, Marist’s Shareif Ali buried a shot into the upper right corner of the net. Ali’s blast from 25 yards was out of NU goalkeeper Jason Whitehead’s reach. Whitehead, a Middletown, N.Y., native played the entire second half in his first game action of the 2007 season. He was also tested less than three minutes in, but the senior proved up to the challenge as he tipped Corey Perkins’ header over the bar.

Niagara’s two goals marked the third time this season the Purple Eagles have scored multiple goals in a game.

Niagara returns to the field Sunday when it faces Siena at 1 p.m.