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Coming off an intense battle against No. 25 Rider University on Saturday, Oct. 14, the Niagara men's soccer team finds themselves in a crucial final stretch of conference play as they look to secure a spot in the MAAC Championships at the regular season's end. The men finish a two-game home stand on Wednesday, Oct. 18 when they host the Marist Red Foxes. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. from Niagara Field.

Purple Points

• Niagara fell 2-1 to No. 25 Rider University in double overtime their last time out.
• Bautista Pedezert scored his second goal of the season, tying the game in the 75th minute to force overtime.
• Despite a strong defensive performance by goalkeeper Steve Casey, Rider broke the deadlock in the final seconds of double overtime off a direct free kick just outside Niagara's box.
• Casey made nine saves in net for the Purple Eagles for a second-straight game, giving him four straight games with nine or more stops. He ranks second in the NCAA with 6.67 saves per game.
• Zulfikar Karimi and Bautista Pedezert are tied for the team offensively this season with two goals and one assist each. Karimi leads alone in shots (19) and shots on goal (10).
• Karimi, Pedezert, Asante Carroll, and Luca Pacheco all have a team-high two goals for the Purple Eagles.

Across the Pitch
Marist Red Foxes (6-7-0, 2-3-0 MAAC)

• Marist enters Wednesday's match off a 3-2 overtime victory over Monmouth.
• Allen Gavilanes leads the team in goals (five), assists (six), points (16), shots (41), and shots on goal (17).
• Goalkeeper Mark Rajovic has seen 1,057 minutes in net this season for Marist, recording a 1.53 goals-against average and .719 save percentage. He ranks fifth in conference in saves (46) and sixth in conference in saves per game (3.83).

 
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