NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women’s soccer team’s attack was hitting on all cylinders this afternoon as it defeated the defending regular season MAAC champions, the Marist Red Foxes (2-9-0, 0-2-0), 3-0 at Niagara Field. 

“We are glad to get our first conference win of the season,” head coach Peter Veltri. “We played well enough to win, but I don’t think we played our best game of the season.”

Niagara (8-3-1, 1-1-0) dictated the play the entire game, never allowing the preseason MAAC favorites into the game. Niagara outshot Marist 17-9 with the Red Foxes having few good scoring chances. 

The Purple Eagles had several chances of their own. In the10th minute, Stephanie Gartley (Camlachie, Ont.) was sent cleared through on a long ball from Erin Baker (Oswego, N.Y.), but shot was denied by Red Foxes goalkeeper Anna Case. 

The Purple Eagles would strike 13 minutes later. Shaylyn Lawrence (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) chip pass found Gartley behind the backline and the Camlachie native calmly chipped the goalkeeper to score her 46th all-time career goal to break her fourth-place tie with Jane Baker. Chiara Greco (Hamilton, Ont.) made it 2-nil in the 29th minute when she pounced on a rebound from Gartley’s shot in the box. 

Niagara sealed the game with a classy goal in the 69th minute. Greco chased down the ball towards the left corner flag and crossed it into the box to Gartley, who laid a chest pass to the feet of Kathryn Potter (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.), and she looped it past the goalkeeper for her second career goal.

The victory over Marist was Niagara’s first since the 2005 season. Marist won both meetings last season, including a 2-1 win in last season’s MAAC championships.

“It was good to beat Marist since they eliminated us from the MAAC championships last season,” Veltri said. “The team was extra motivated for this game.”

Replay of Sunday’s game will be shown on LCTV on October 5 at 8:30 p.m., October 6 at 1:30 a.m. and October 7 at 8:30 p.m.

Niagara evens its conference record to 1-1-0 and travels to Fairfield, Conn. to face the Fairfield Stags on Friday, October 10 at 7 p.m.