AMHERST, N.Y. – The Niagara men’s soccer team was defeated 3-0 by Big Four rival the Buffalo Bulls on a cool, wet Friday night from UB Stadium.

“The game was more even than the score would suggest,” head coach Dermot McGrane said. “A big difference in the game was when Buffalo had a chance they scored and the couple of chances we had we missed.”

First half action was bogged down in the midfield with neither Niagara (2-5-1) nor Buffalo (5-5-0) creating much attacking opportunities. UB broke the scoreless deadlock with a goal in the 33rd minute. A fortuitous bounce in the box from a free kick allowed the Bulls’ Kieron Gradwell to pounce on the ball and his shot beat John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.). Fiutowski, who had nine saves in the game, made a leaping save five minutes later to deny UB from increasing its lead.

With seconds dying in the first half, an unmarked Desmond Betteto (Barrie, Ont.) had his diving header land inches wide of the net.

The second half saw more opened play, but with few direct scoring chances for Niagara. Bryan DaCruz’s (Barrie, Ont.) header was saved from an indirect free kick in the 52nd minute. In the 66th minute, Justin Roundy (Liverpool, N.Y.) had his free kick sail high over the crossbar.

UB made it 2-0 in the 76th minute when Anthony Johnson was sent on a breakaway and blasted his shot passed the fingertips of Fiutowski.  Johnson added his second goal with a low shot on a direct free kick in the 82nd minute.

In the last minute of the match, Carl Haworth (Barrie, Ont.) was denied a consolation goal by UB’s goalkeeper and Anthony DiBiase’s (Wolcott, N.Y.) shot went narrowly wide on the rebound.

“We still need to find some composure infront of goal,” McGrane stated. “For the last two games, we had opportunities to change the course of the game and we lacked a little bit of quality.”

Niagara returns home this Sunday to play another Big Four rival, St. Bonaventure, at 4 p.m.