ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Three members of the Niagara women's soccer team found the back of the net en route to a solid 3-1 victory over St. Bonaventure in the Purple Eagles' opening game of the 2014 campaign at McGraw-Jennings Field.   

Senior Catherine Meyer and senior Haillie Price put away the first two scores for Niagara (1-0-0), before newcomer Eva Bachmann solidified the victory with her first tally wearing the Purple and White.  Junior midfielder Hayley Besaw had a two-point afternoon with a pair of assists.  Starting junior goaltending Claire Feiertag stymied a pair of St. Bonaventure shots (1-2-0), while her counterpart Christine Sarokon made five saves on the afternoon.

"I'm very happy with today's win," head coach Peter Veltri said.  "Anytime you start the season with a win it's good thing, and when it's a Little Three rival it's even a little sweeter."

It took less than three minutes into the contest for the Purple Eagles to notch goal number one of the season as Meyer pushed Niagara ahead off a feed from Besaw at the 2:06 mark of the opening half.  The Purple Eagles continued to pepper Sarokon with opportunities, outshooting their Little Three rival, 5-1 before hitting the 20 minutes.  Despite the continuous pressure, St. Bonaventure's Abby Maiello was able to even the game at one apiece with 23 minutes remaining in the half as the midfielder headed a cross from Brittany Charles past Feiertag.

The teams went into the break tied at one, with the shot count in favor of Niagara, 8-3.  

The Purple Eagles retook the lead at the 68th mark of the second frame as Price picked up a loose ball in the St. Bonaventure box and hammered it home to make it 2-1. Niagara sealed the victory 10 minutes later as Besaw connected with Bachmann for the two-goal cushion.

"We started the game off really well, but I thought the second half was a better display of how we can play," added Veltri.  "The goals by Catherine, Haillie and Eva provided us a nice cushion and defensively we were able to shut them down and limit them to very few chances."

Niagara wrapped up the afternoon with a convincing 15-6 advantage in shots, with Besaw garnering a game-high three shots. 

Niagara returns to action on Friday, Aug. 29 in its home opener when the Purple Eagles host the Drexel Dragons at 7 p.m. at Niagara Field.