Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Niagara men’s soccer team overcame a slow start and then was less than one minute from victory, but eventually settled for a 3-3 tie with the Fairfield Stags on Sunday.

Fairfield (4-4-1, 3-0-1) jumped out to a quick two-goal lead as Jordan Ayris scored in the seventh minute and nine minutes later, on the next shot of the game, Jack Burridge would score in the 16^th minute.

“We spotted a good team a two-goal lead and then we had to battle back,” said head coach Chase Brooks.

Niagara (6-3-3, 1-1-2) would get on the board in the 20^th minute as Kyle Moraldo would score his first goal of the season.  The Purple Eagles would out shoot the Stags for the rest of the first half, and then carried that momentum into the second half as Mike Pass would score to tie the game two minutes into the next frame. 

That would do it for scoring for the next 35 minutes, until with a little more than six minutes left Ben Thorne would score to put Niagara ahead for the first time in the game.  The lead wouldn’t last long as Burridge scored again for Fairfield with less than a minute left to tie the game at 3-3.

Two overtime periods would be played, but neither team would score.

“To go from the way we started to the way we ended was great,” Brooks said.  “ To end 3-3 with both team battling is a testament to the character of the guys.”

“It shows that they are working for each other and believe in the program,” he continued.  “This weekend we showed the conference that we are going to battle and we want to play in the last game of the year.”

Niagara is back in action next weekend when it hosts Saint Peter’s at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 and Manhattan comes to campus on Sunday, Oct. 16 for a 1 p.m. game.