NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - Despite a fast start, the Niagara men’s soccer team was unable to hold onto its lead, falling to St. Bonaventure, 2-1, Friday afternoon at Niagara Field. The loss drops NU to 1-4-1 on the season, while SBU improves to 3-3-1.

The Purple Eagles opened the scoring early, as NU capitalized on its first shot of the game. Junior Stephen Kauble (Canal Winchester, Ohio) found the back of the net at the 3:52 mark off an assist from Joe Skinner (Baldwinsville, N.Y.). Kauble received the ball, took a few touches and nestled his shot into the left side netting for his first goal of the season. With the assist, Skinner has contributed a point in two of the last three games.

St. Bonaventure evened the score 20 minutes later when Nikola Vasilev, the team’s leading scorer, got his head on a deflection that beat NU’s John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.). In the first half, both teams had several chances to break the stalemate, but missed shots and strong goalkeeping kept the score knotted at one apiece.

However in the second half, St. Bonaventure held a significant advantage in shots, including a point blank attempt by Vasilev that Fiutowski managed to steer clear of the goal. Fiutowski’s seven saves in the game gives him a career-high 65 on the season. In 2006, Fiutowski played in 14 games, recording 63 saves, a mark he has already eclipsed in just seven matches this year.

SBU’s game-winning goal came at the 56:06 mark as a Bonnie player took a free kick from about 35 yards out that snuck under Niagara’s wall of defenders. After a brief scramble, SBU’s Tyler Bellamy located the loose ball and got his foot on it and redirected it into the goal.

The Purple Eagles take the field again on Sunday when they face Robert Morris in a 2:30 p.m. match. The game will be broadcast on a tape delay basis by LCTV and air later Sunday night at 9 p.m. on cable channel 20.