POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Niagara men’s soccer team shutout the Marist Red Foxes, 2-0, on Friday night to stay in the hunt for a spot in the 2010 MAAC Tournament.

Niagara (6-9-2, 4-3-1 MAAC) benefited from an own goal early in the first half and senior Levi Tesch iced the game for the Purple Eagles with an 80th minute goal and in the process eliminating Marist (8-9-0, 3-5-0 MAAC) from playoffs contention.

"This was another important game for our team against a very good Marist team," head coach Dermot McGrane said. "We will enjoy the win tonight, but tomorrow we will be back at work preparing for our game Sunday."

A botched clear attempt by the Red Foxes, which resulted into on own goal, allowed Niagara to take a 1-0 lead after 11 minutes. The Niagara defense was on its back heels for the rest of the first half, getting outshot 16-3, but had the advantage in corner kicks (5-2).

As the game progressed, Marist had to chase the game and the Purple Eagles took advantage of the open space. In the 80th minute, Niagara had a two-on-one break and freshman Brandon Wellington laid off a pass to an unmarked Tesch who bagged his fourth goal of the season. Goalkeeper Jacob Vertel made six saves and collected his second straight shutout win.

Niagara (13 points) needs to defeat Siena (21 points), which is currently in first place, on Sunday and will need Iona (15 points) to either lose or tie against Loyola (16 points) in order to claim one of the four spots in the MAAC Tournament.  Both matches will be played simultaneously at 1 p.m.