NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara University women's soccer team used a 35th minute goal from sophomore midfielder Naomi Giovino to beat long-time rival Canisius 1-0 in the MAAC Championship First Round on Saturday at Niagara Field.

The third-seeded Purple Eagles were able to uphold the shutout, weathering eight shots and four corner kicks, to advance to the MAAC Semifinals where they will face the No. 2 seed Fairfield Stags on Friday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. at Monmouth University.

"I am very excited about tonight's win. It's the first time ever that NU has hosted a playoff game for the women's soccer program," said head coach Peter Veltri. "It was great to get a win especially against our rival. We should head into semifinals this Firday with a lot of confidence as we have proved that we truly deserve to be there."

Junior goalkeeper Claire Feiertag had two saves for Niagara while also breaking an all-time single-season shutout record with 10 solo shutouts on the year.  Katy Owings had nine single-season shutouts in 2002.

Giovino made the most of the Niagara corner kick in the 35^th minute scoring an Olympic goal right past Canisius goalkeeper. The keeper was unable to find control of the ball as it curved into the back of the net.

The second half took a more physical tone, as the two teams combined total of 20 total fouls in the match. The Purple Eagles had plenty of scoring opportunities in the second half, placing two of their five shots on goal and two corner kicks. Niagara also managed to preserve control for the majority of the match, outshooting the Golden Griffins 11-8.

Niagara and Fairfield's last meeting was this season on Oct. 25 when Niagara defeated the Stags 1-0. The Purple Eagles scored the only goal of the game on a shot by Danielle Kennedy. Senior Maureen Papaconstantinou served a feed to Kennedy inside the box who drilled a shot past Fairfield goalie.

That semifinal game will be streamed live via MAAC.TV. There will be a $5 general admission for matches at Monmouth while children five and under along with MAAC students with I.D. are free.