NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men's soccer team (3-1-0) defeated the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers (2-1-1) 2-0 in the final game of the Niagara Classic in front of 328 fans at Niagara Field on Sunday afternoon.

In the 52nd minute, Matthew Durand (Melbourne, Australia) broke free and was hauled down inside the box, calling for a penalty kick. Sophomore Levi Tesch (Wolcott, N.Y) took the penalty kick, only to tap in the resulting rebound for the game-winning goal.

Niagara utilized a strong second effort en route to taking the 2-0 victory, a late-game push that pleased head coach Dermot McGrane.

"I am happy with the way we played, especially the discipline we showed during the game," McGrane said. "I feel we still have to do a better job finishing the changes we create, but I was pleased with our defense as we posted another shutout."

The first half was a back and forth affair with the Terriers taking the charge early, only for the Purple Eagles to gain momentum by the end of the half. Niagara had several chances to break the game open, including Eric Brodfueher's (Tonawanda, N.Y.) long distance shot that rang off the post. The game remained gridlocked at zero at the half.

Niagara came out strong in the second half, but still had to fend off a tough Terrier team. Goalkeeper John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.) made four clutch saves in the second half to keep the Purple Eagles in the lead 1-0.

Brodfuehrer put the game out of reach, breaking free of the Terrier defense and put in his own rebound with one second remaining in the game for the 2-0 advantage.

Fiutowski made nine saves on the day, while Chris Antonino made four stops for St. Francis.

The Purple Eagles now hit the road for a match with Cleveland State on Friday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.