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Niagara University Athletics

Casey
4
Winner Niagara NIAM (1-0-0)
0
Robert Morris RMU (0-1-0)
Winner
Niagara NIAM
(1-0-0)
4
Final
0
Robert Morris RMU
(0-1-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Niagara NIAM 3 1 4
Robert Morris RMU 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Niagara Blanks Robert Morris 4-0 In Season Opener

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – In the first game under new head coach Bill Boyle, the Purple Eagles men's soccer team poured on the offense early and often. Niagara took down the Robert Morris Colonials by a score of 4-0 Friday afternoon at the North Athletic Complex.
 
An early red card on Robert Morris gave Niagara a significant advantage, as the Purple Eagles tallied three goals in a nine-minute span to break the game open. The Niagara offense was led by a pair of freshmen making their debuts in the Purple and White. Midfielder Mackenzie Roach scored twice, and forward Absalom Solorio Villalpando added one goal and one assist. Steve Casey made three saves in goal for the shutout victory.
 
Game Summary  
Game Recap
  • Absalom Solorio Villalpando got the first chance of the game on a breakaway opportunity, but turned the chance into a penalty kick after colliding with Robert Morris goalkeeper Winter Bondi, who was given a red card. Hector Solorio Villalpando was denied on the penalty kick, but Shiquan Lowe buried the rebound for Niagara's first goal of the 2016 season.
  • Less than two minutes later, Absalom Solorio Villalpando sent a crossing pass to Mackenzie Roach, and the freshman buried the shot from the six-yard line to double the Purple Eagles' lead. Konrad Zydowicz earned a secondary assist on the play.
  • In the 17th minute, Absalom Solorio Villalpando stole the ball from a Robert Morris defender deep in the Colonials' territory and buried a low shot far side to put Niagara up 3-0.
  • The Purple Eagles held Robert Morris without a shot until just past the 25-minute mark, but Steve Casey denied the Colonials' Keane McIvor on a long shot from the right wing.
  • In the first five minutes after halftime, Mackenzie Roach beat a Robert Morris defender one-on-one and flicked a shot to the left side netting over Colonials goalkeeper Matt Bisceglia to make it 4-0 Niagara. Freshman defender Borna Juracic collected an assist on the goal.
  • Robert Morris nearly got on the board with a header off of a corner kick in the 55th minute, but Casey made the save before the shot was cleared out by the Niagara defense.
  • The Purple Eagles' defense stifled the Colonials' offense and did not allow a shot on goal over the final 25 minutes of play, preserving the shutout victory for Casey.
 
Coach's Corner
  • Head Coach Bill Boyle: "This game today was a culmination of hard work, talent, and pure emotion. Our guys wanted this so badly. I am just so happy for a bunch of guys that deserve this as much as anyone in the country. It's their commitment every day to get better and improve with self-driven professionalism."
 
News & Notes
  • Head coach Bill Boyle earned the first win of his Division I coaching career in the season opener.
  • Mackenzie Roach is the first Purple Eagle to score two goals in a game since Sergio Lujan tallied twice at Monmouth on Oct. 24, 2015.
  • Hector Solorio Villalpando registered a team-high three shots in the win.
  • Casey, a redshirt-sophomore who missed the entire 2015 season, collected his first start and first shutout since a 0-0 draw versus Canisius on Nov. 5, 2014. 
  • The shutout victory was the first for Niagara since a 4-0 win at Niagara Field against St. Bonaventure on Sept. 17, 2015.
  • Niagara held a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal in the match, outshooting Robert Morris 12-7 overall.
 
Up Next
  • The Purple Eagles are off until next weekend, when they travel south for two games in Florida. Niagara takes on Florida Atlantic at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2 before facing Florida International at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4. Florida International opened the 2016 season ranked No. 23 in the nation.
 
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. 
 
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