Live Video | Live Stats

The Purple Eagles men's soccer team closes out its 2017 home schedule on Saturday, Oct. 28 looking to pick up a late-season victory. Niagara will honor five of its players for Senior Night at Niagara Field before taking on the Fairfield Stags in a 7 p.m. matchup.

Senior Night

• Prior to Saturday night's matchup, Niagara men's soccer will honor Steve Casey, Omar Cruz, Joel Gerberich, Sergio Lujan, and Konrad Zydowicz with a Senior Night ceremony starting at approximately 6:45 p.m.

 
Purple Points

• The Purple Eagles will look to rebound from Wednesday's 1-0 loss at Manhattan to pick up a win in the team's 2017 home finale.
• Niagara stayed close as the Jaspers held a narrow 5-4 advantage in shots on goal, but a goal in the 28th minute by Manhattan's Lucas Da Silva proved to be enough for the win.
• Konrad Zydowicz had Niagara's best chance of the game in the 81st minute with a diving header shot that was turned away by Manhattan goalkeeper Marcellin Gohier.
• Sophomore Zulfikar Karimi and junior Bautista Pedezert are tied for the team scoring lead with five points, each collecting two goals and one assist on the season.
• Karimi and Pedezert are tied with Zydowicz, Asante Carroll, and Luca Pacheco for the team lead in goals with two each.
• Redshirt-junior Steve Casey is currently SECOND in the NCAA and leads the MAAC with 5.83 saves per game. His 70 total saves rank 15th in the NCAA.

 
Across the Pitch
Fairfield Stags (9-4-1, 5-1-2 MAAC)
 

• Fairfield clinched a berth in the 2017 MAAC Men's Soccer Championships on Wednesday night with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Monmouth Hawks.
• The Stags currently are tied for third in a tightly-contested race for the MAAC regular-season title; Fairfield's 17 points trail only Rider (19) and Manhattan (18) while matching Canisius.
• Fairfield holds a 22-5-1 edge in the all-time series against Niagara.
• Ben Wignall leads the Stags offensively with 11 points on four goals and three assists. Don Junior-Bobe paces the team with five goals while freshman Matt McGlinchey has a Stags-best four assists.
• Freshman Gordon Botterill leads the Stags in goal, posting an 8-2-2 record in 12 appearances with a 0.97 goals-against average, .774 save percentage, and six clean sheets.

 
Up Next

• Niagara's season finale will come on Wednesday, Nov. 1 in a 3 p.m. road matchup against the Monmouth Hawks.

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