LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Niagara women's soccer team was 30 minutes away from claiming its second-ever MAAC Championship, but allowed three goals in a five-minute span to suffer a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against the top-seeded Loyola Greyhounds in the MAAC Tournament Final on Monday afternoon from the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex.

"I am really proud on how the team played a week," head coach Peter Veltri said. "They showed a lot of heart and determination all week and played a great game today. You have to give credit to Loyola."

The sixth-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles (10-10-1) took a well deserved 2-0 lead into halftime after dominating play in the first half. In the 11^th minute, senior Brittany Benthin (Medina, N.Y.) scored the game’s first goal with a classy finished from great passing. Goalkeeper Ashleigh Bowers (Liverpool, N.Y.) punted the ball up field into the path of senior Chiara Greco (Hamilton, Ont.) and she laid off a perfectly weighted pass to Benthin and she placed it past the charging Loyola keeper.

Greco assisted on Niagara’s second goal with five minutes before the halftime whistle. She lobbed a pass to Adriana Gallo (Niagara Falls, Ont.) and the sophomore muscled off her defender inside the box and shot a bender around the goalkeeper to put the Purple Eagles up 2-0 after 40 minutes.

The game turned in favor of Loyola (15-4-3) when it received a penalty kick in the 62^nd minute. The Greyhounds’ Gianna Mangione converted the penalty kick to cut the lead to 2-1. In the 64^th minute, Loyola scored after collecting a loose ball in the box from a corner kick to tie the match at 2-2. Two minutes later, Tessa McClenahan headed home the game-winner.

In the 87^th minute, Erin Baker (Oswego, N.Y.) had her shot blocked inside the box to set up a corner kick, but Niagara would be unable to get a shot on net on the ensuing corner.

Benthin, Bowers and Greco were all named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.