NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men's soccer team (6-2-2) used two first half goals to tie Big Four rival Buffalo (10-2-2) by a 2-2 margin in front of 370 fans at Niagara Field on Sunday.

Head coach Dermot McGrane was happy with how his team performed against Buffalo.

"I felt we played extremely well in the first half, and deserved the two goal lead," McGrane said. "When Buffalo stepped up the pressure in the second half, we needed to do a better job of possessing the ball."

The Bulls were entering the contest looking for their eight consecutive shutout, as they held opponents scoreless for the last 656 minutes. Niagara was able to solve the strong Bulls defense as Billy Gustafson (Rochester, N.Y.) tossed a long throw-in which found sophomore Levi Tesch (Wolcott, N.Y.) alone in the box for the tap in.

The Purple Eagles struck again with 1:35 left in the first half, as Carl Haworth (Barrie, Ont.) was hauled down in the box, prompting a Niagara penalty kick. The Purple Eagles selected leading scorer Matt Durand (Melbourne, Australia) for the penalty kick try, as he scored his eighth goal of the year to give the Purps a 2-0 halftime advantage.

The Bulls turned on the offensive pressure in the second half, scoring twice to tie the game. Niagara pressured late with several chances coming in the final two minutes, but the Purple Eagles couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Both teams continued to trade chances through two overtime periods, but couldn't come up with the game-winner.

"At the end of the game it was disappointing to have given up a two goal lead, but Buffalo is a good team and a respectable result," McGrane said.

John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.) made 10 saves for the Purple Eagles.

The Purple Eagles continue their three-game home stand when they take on MAAC foe Loyola on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. To watch the game against the Bulls, you can catch the replay on LCTV at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 at 8:30 p.m.