Wednesday, Sept. 20

vs. St. Bonaventure

7:00 p.m.

Live Video

Live Stats

After playing seven road games to open up the season, the Niagara men's soccer team clashes with the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the team's home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 20. The final non-conference match of 2017 for Niagara and the 50th all-time meeting between the Purple Eagles and Bonnies, Wednesday's match is slated to kick off at 7 p.m.
 
Purple Points

• Last weekend, the Purple Eagles dropped a tough matchup 3-0 to James Madison University.
• After a quick goal by the Dukes, Niagara was down just 1-0 after the first half. James Madison tacked on two more goals after halftime and turned away a free kick shot on goal from Niagara's Matt Lopoyda to seal the 3-0 decision.
• The highlight for the Purple Eagles was goalkeeper Steve Casey. Casey tallied eight saves to match his single-game high from a season ago, when he made eight saves and kept a clean sheet in a scoreless draw against Canisius in the 2016 season finale.
• Asante Carroll leads the team this season in points (four) and goals (two). Zulfikar Karimi is second with three points and leads the team in total shots (11) and shots on goal (seven).

 
Across the Pitch
St. Bonaventure Bonnies (3-3-1)

• This is the 50th matchup in the all-time series between Niagara and St. Bonaventure. Niagara has claimed 16 wins over St. Bonaventure, including the team's last home match against the Bonnies, a 4-0 victory on Sept. 18, 2015.
• In their last game, the Bonnies fell to Hartwick 3-1. Hartwick pushed past the Bonnies with two late goals coming in the 68th and 76th minutes.
• The Bonnies come to Niagara looking for their fourth win of the season after previously taking wins over Bucknell, Robert Morris, and Albany.
• Senior Paul Afful leads the Bonnies in points (eight), goals (three), shots (23) and is tied for the team lead in assists (two) with Kieran Toland.
• Junior goalkeeper Luke Iacobellis has played every minute this season for the Bonnies, accumulating 34 saves, two shutouts, and a 1.32 goals-against average.

 
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.com/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.