Back to the MAAC

Niagara enters the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships as the fourth seed, ready to defend its 2006 MAAC crown. The Purple Eagles used a 3-0 victory over Siena on the final day of the regular season to receive their third-straight bid into the postseason.

Just like last season, head coach Peter Veltri’s squad will enter the 2007 tournament with a high-scoring offense and a freshman goalkeeper.

How They Got Here

Marist, this year’s host school, earned the top seed in the playoffs after boasting an 7-1-1 conference mark, including a 2-0-1 record against this year’s field. The Fairfield Stags claimed the No. 2 seed after a 6-1-2 conference record, with a 1-1-1 claim against the ‘07 field.

Loyola, last year’s regular-season champions, earned the No. 3 seed for the weekend after the only undefeated record in the MAAC (5-0-4). The Greyhounds tied all three members of the tournament field this season. The 2006 champion Niagara Purple Eagles needed to win their final game of the season to clinch the final bid to the tournament. They finished the ‘07 campaign with a 5-2-2 mark in the MAAC, including a 0-2-1 record against the field.

The Matchups

The semifinal round will get underway Friday when No. 2 Fairfield and No. 3 Loyola square off at 4 p.m. No. 4 Niagara takes on No. 1 Marist in the 7 p.m. contest at Tenney Stadium. Chris Smith will broadcast the Purple Eagles’ contest live on PurpleEagles.com.

The MAAC Championship will be decided Nov. 11 at noon on ESPNU.

Defending The Crown

Niagara is set to defend its 2006 MAAC Title with two of the most prolific scorers in school history in senior Brittany Bisnott and junior Stephanie Gartley. The pair of forwards were a main reason that the Purple Eagles claimed their first conference crown last November and are prepared to lead the purple-clad underdogs this time around.

In 2006, Niagara shutout the host Fairfield Stags, 2-0 to advance to their third MAAC Championship game in four seasons. In the title game, the Purple Eagles outlasted a feisty Siena squad, 2-1 to win the first title in school history.

Bisnott was named MAAC Tournament MVP after scoring three goals.

Scouting the Purple Eagles

A young Niagara squad returns to the MAAC Championships for the fourth time in five seasons, looking to grasp a little of the magic that led them to last season’s title. This year’s squad is loaded with 10 freshmen, some of whom were counted on throughout the season.

The best example of that is between the pipes, as rookie Ashleigh Bowers boasted a 1.24 goals-against average in her first season on Monteagle Ridge. That total is the second-best season mark that a Niagara goalkeeper has ever produced (Katy Owings, 1.17, 2003).

The offensive attack is once again led by Brittany Bisnott and Stephanie Gartley. Bisnott, who is tied for the conference lead with 11 goals scored and four game-winning tallies, will go down in conference history with the second-highest career point total, as she currently has 136 points. Only Niagara’s Rosie Lusak scored more points since the inception of the MAAC.

Gartley, who was limited throughout the season due to an injury, ranks second on the squad with seven goals and 16 points.

The rest of the offensive production was spread out this season, as eight players recorded their first collegiate points during the season. Sophomore Chiara Greco was a pleasant surprise for the Purple Eagles, as the midfielder tallied four goals and an assist, ranking third on the team with nine points.

The defensive backfield was strong all season, as the group held opponents to one goal or fewer in 11 of the 18 contests, including pitching five shutouts on the season.

Scouting the Red Foxes

Marist had two players rank in the top 10 in scoring, as Katie Fox and Merrilyn Esteve each scored eight goals on the season. The duo helped pace the Red Foxes to the highest scoring average in the conference, scoring 2.24 goals per game. Esteve is one of two players tied with NU’s Brittany Bisnott with a conference-high four game winners.

Allison Lane leads the MAAC with a 0.89 goals-against average, allowing just 10 goals all season long. The freshman, who recorded four shutouts and a 7-3-3 record in net, was honored by the conference with five weekly awards (2 DPOW & 3 ROW).

The Red Foxes defeated Niagara on this very field one week ago in a 3-1 match. The momentum shifted on a penalty kick that was saved by Lane. The goal could have given Niagara a 2-0, but instead propelled Marist to score two goals in nine seconds in the victory.

Marist defeated Fairfield in overtime, 2-1, and tied Loyola, 0-0 this year.

Scouting the Stags

Fairfield returns to the MAAC Tournament after a 6-1-2 conference mark. The Stags are once again led by ‘keeper Brett Maron and her 0.97 goals-against average. The senior recorded 103 saves on the year with a conference-best seven shutouts.

The Stag offense is led by MAAC scoring leader Nicole Cavallaro. The freshman forward totaled seven goals and 16 assists for 30 points in her inaugural campaign. Last season’s MAAC Rookie of the Year Casey Frobey is continuing to impress those across the MAAC. The forward ranks third in the conference with 26 points and tying NU’s Brittany Bisnott with the goal lead (11).

Fairfield defeated Niagara 6-0, handing the Purple eagles the worst loss in the Veltri era. The Stags lost to Marist, 2-1 in overtime and tied Loyola 2-2.

Scouting the Greyhounds

Loyola earned the No. 3 seed for the weekend after an undefeated conference mark of 5-0-4. The Greyhounds tied all three teams that made the tournament field.

Christina Gomez paces the offensive attack with six goals and five assists, ranking seventh in the conference with 17 points. Brittany Henderson has posted six shutouts between the pipes with a goals-against average of 0.91.

Niagara tied Loyola 0-0 this year, ending the Greyhounds 16-game streak against the Purple Eagles.