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The Niagara men's soccer team kicks off its 2016 campaign on Friday, September 26 with the first of three road matches to start the season. The Purple Eagles start their first season under new head coach Bill Boyle against the Robert Morris Colonials at 1 p.m.
 
The 2016 Purple Eagles

• Niagara returns 11 players from the 2015 team, with 13 freshmen and two transfer students composing a 15-player incoming class.
• The team will be led by two captains, redshirt-senior midfielder Fabrizio Chiari and junior goalkeeper Joel Gerberich. Chiari led Niagara with three assists last season, and Gerberich led the way in goal for the team in 2015, posting a 1.93 goals-against average, a .623 save percentage, and one shutout.
• Offensively, the Purple Eagles return two of their three leading scorers from a season ago in Sergio Lujan (three goals, one assist) and Bautista Pedezert (two goals, two assists).
• Senior Konrad Zydowicz and redshirt-freshman Alek Wendland return on the back line for the 2016 season.
• Joining Gerberich in goal will be Steve Casey, who redshirted during the 2015 season. Casey made 12 appearances as a freshman in 2014, going 2-6-2 with a 1.87 goals-against average, .667 save percentage, and two shutouts.

 
New Faces in Charge

• Bill Boyle was named the head coach of the Purple Eagles men's soccer program in January 2016 following two seasons as an assistant coach at the University at Albany.
• Boyle helped the Great Danes to their first America East championship in 2015 as the entire staff was named the conference's Coaching Staff of the Year.
• Prior to Albany, Boyle was an assistant coach for the Colgate Raiders from 2011-14. Colgate won the Patriot League title in 2011, and Boyle helped recruit a nationally-ranked freshman class to Colgate in 2014.
• From 2010-11, Boyle was an assistant coach at Michigan State University, when the Spartans advanced to the third round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
• Boyle played collegiately at Hartwick College from 1994-97, helping the Hawks advance to the third round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament as a sophomore. Hartwick was ranked as high as sixth in the nation during Boyle's playing career.
• Boyle named Michael Meyer as his assistant coach. Meyer served as an assistant coach in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) from 2013-16 with Ann Arbor FC and Lansing United, and he was an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky University from 2000-06.
   

Across the Pitch: Robert Morris Colonials

• Robert Morris finished the 2015 season with a record of 10-8-1, including a 4-2-1 record in Northeast Conference play.
• The Colonials defeated Niagara 1-0 in the first game of the 2015 season, scoring in the 80th minute.
• Niagara is 5-9-0 all-time against Robert Morris, with the Purple Eagles' last win in the series coming on Sept. 11, 2011.
• Lucas Puntillo leads the returning scorers for Robert Morris after recording five goals and six assists for 16 points in 2015.

 
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for men's soccer updates, follow @NiagaraSoccer. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.