NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - Two goals in the first six minutes were enough for the Niagara men's soccer team to defeat the Hartwick Hawks, 2-1, in its home opener on Wednesday night.

"It’s nice to get the win and to be at home after three-straight road games," head coach Dermot McGrane said.  "We are getting healthy, starting to play well and showing a lot promise of what we could be." 

Niagara (1-3-0) notched its first win of the season thanks to goals from freshman Gino Corasaniti in the 5th minute and senior Levi Tesch in the 6th minute. Junior Carl Haworth setup the first goal by speeding past two Hartwick (0-4-1) defenders and in the process bringing out the goalkeeper, which allowed Haworth to cross the ball to an open Corasaniti who smashed his shot into the net.

One minute later, Liam Gilbert slipped a thru ball just outside of the box to Tesch and he finished near post to give NU a 2-0 lead. The third goal in the game came two minutes later when Hartwick's Steven Amaya scored a free kick.

In the 15th minute, Haworth came close to putting NU up 3-1 when his free kick from 20 yards out hit the post and came close again with an effort inside of the box in the 50th minute.  

The Purple Eagles defense was solid throughout the game and made several key stops. Two Purple Eagles cleared shots of the line, one in the 36th minute and in the 73rd minute. Goalkeeper Michael Moran made four saves in the game and won his first game as a Purple Eagle.

Niagara’s next game is on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the LaSalle Explorers.

Men's Soccer Highlights From Hartwick Victory