NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Two second half goals propelled the Niagara Purple Eagles to a 2-1 victory over the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday afternoon at Niagara Field for their first MAAC win of the season.
 
Resilience was the name of the game for the Purple Eagles (2-9-0, 1-2-0 MAAC) who outshot the Jaspers (3-7-0, 0-2-1 MAAC) 13-4 in the opening half, got on the scoreboard first with Jami Petersen's tally, then had to take the lead back with a goal from Breanna Catipovic in the 86^th minute after Manhattan had tied the game in the 68th.
 
"We were the better team today and deserve the win," head coach Peter Veltri said.  "We showed great character scoring the winning goal after they tied it up.  It would have been easy to put our heads down but the girls kept fighting and were rewarded in the end."
 
Petersen got the Purple Eagles on the board with her first goal of the 2013 season.  The sophomore from Syracuse N.Y. handled a cross near the goal line then snuck a shot far side past a sprawling Kristen Skonieczny to give her squad the lead.
 
Manhattan would not go quietly as the visitors tied the game at 1-1 just 13 minutes later as Aislinn McIlvenny sent a shot under the crossbar from outside the 18-yard box.
 
The Purple Eagles kept the pressure on and, with under four minutes left in the contest, Catherine Meyer took a shot from down low that was saved by Manhattan's new keeper, Maria Sanzari, but Catipovic found the rebound and was able to convert to give Niagara its final 2-1 lead.  The goal was the senior's sixth of the season.
 
Catipovic and Naomi Giovino led the Purple and White with four shots apiece and sophomore Claire Feiertag went the distance in goal, giving up the one tally on six shots-on-net (11 overall).
 
The Purple Eagles are back on the field next Wednesday when they host Battle of the Bridge rival Canisius at 7:00 p.m.