NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – For the second time this season Niagara women's soccer battled to a 0-0 deadlock as the Purple Eagles and Cleveland State Vikings settled for a scoreless draw during Sunday afternoon's contest at Niagara Field.   

After a scoreless 90 minutes of play, the non-conference opponents headed into overtime where both teams were only able to muster a single shot over 20 minutes.  The first shot in extra time came in the second 10 minutes, as nifty pass work between senior Catherine Meyer and sophomore Amanda Gallo in the box led to a saved shot by Cleveland State goalkeeper Sarah Wood.  The Viking's only shot on target in OT and the contest came in the waning moments as freshman forward Vickie Havas saw her opportunity saved by NU goaltender Claire Feiertag. 

The tie puts Niagara at 3-1-2 six games into the season, while Cleveland State now stands at 4-4-1.

"I thought we dominated today's game against Cleveland. We generated a number of opportunities in the attack, but just couldn't get past CSU's keeper," assistant coach Caitlin Long said.  "It was great to see how we played over the past few games. I am very happy with this weekend." 

Feiertag only had to make one save to earn her third shutout of the season which stands as a career-high for the junior, while Wood stopped eight shots.    

The non-conference battle began with a pair of quick corner kick opportunities for Niagara from senior Maureen Papaconstantinou, one of which junior Hayley Besaw managed to get a head on.   The Purple Eagles continued to pressure and came inches from grabbing the lead inside the 15 minute mark of the opening half as freshman Eva Bachmann stole the ball from a Cleveland State defender before ripping a shot off the post.  The rebound came straight to sophomore Shawnique Samuels for a left-footed opportunity, but Wood denied her. 

Feiertag did not have to make a single save in the first frame although Viking midfielder Allie Sieradzki almost found the back of the net when her shot from inside the box sailed wide.  The Purple Eagles headed into the break with a commanding 9-3 advantage in shots, six of which were on target.   

The NU backline continued to keep Cleveland State without a shot on net in the second half, while the Purple Eagles offense kept Wood busy on the other end.  Naomi Giovino was behind two of those scoring opportunities as the midfielder received a feed down the middle from Besaw and sprinted into the box, but her shot was blocked by the Viking defense.  The second chance came with under five minutes in regulation as a cross into the box from Gallo came to the foot of Giovino, but she could not put away her one-timer.

Niagara held the advantage on the shot chart the entire game, finishing 110 minutes of play with 15 shots compared to Cleveland's seven.  Besaw led the Purple Eagles with four shots, three of which were on target, while Meyer, Samuels and Giovino each pocketed two scoring opportunities.  

The Purple Eagles conclude their four-game home stand on Thursday, Sept. 19 when Niagara welcomes Robert Morris to Niagara Field for the team's final non-conference game.  Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.