“This was a very important win for us at this stage of the year,” head coach Dermot McGrane said. “We put ourselves in a good position to get into the MAAC playoffs. We now have to focus on next weekend games and get prepared to get a couple of wins.”

Kauble, who was playing in his last home game along with Anthony DiBiase (Richmond Hill, Ont.), John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.), Nick Lippa (Rochester, N.Y.), Justin Roundy (Liverpool, N.Y.), Zach Scholla (Angelica, N.Y.) and Levi Tesch (Wolcott, N.Y.), scored the all-important lone goal in today’s match.

Carl Haworth (Barrie, Ont.) chipped a pass into in the box, which landed in Kauble’s path and he toe poked it to the far post past the Marist keeper.

Niagara (6-8-2, 4-2-1 MAAC) dominated play the entire match, especially in the first half, and took a well deserved lead into the second half. Niagara outshot Marist (7-8-2, 3-4-1 MAAC) 7-1 in the first half. In the second half, the Red Foxes began to show some initiatives on offense, but were turned away by Niagara’s backline.

Lippa nearly made it 2-0 in the 58^th minute when he was left unmarked on a corner kick, but his header went over the bar.  In the 74^th minute, Fiutowski made the save of the day and perhaps the season. He dove across his goal in an attempt to save a shot, but was caught leaning the wrong way and had to lift up his legs to make a kick save to deny Marist’s Krystian Witkowski the game-tying goal. In 77^th minute, freshman forward Bryan DaCruz (Barrie, Ont.) also came within inches of scoring and sealing the game, but his attempt at the upper-ninety went over the bar.

Niagara moves into fourth place in the MAAC and currently holds the final spot for the MAAC Tournament. The Purple Eagles play their final two games of the season, starting at Fairfield on Friday, Nov. 6.