SCORE: Florida Gulf Coast 3, Niagara 0
RECORDS: Florida Gulf Coast (3-0-0), Niagara (2-2-0)
LOCATION: FGCU Soccer Complex

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Niagara University women's soccer team dropped the first game of its Florida road trip by a 3-0 margin at Florida Gulf Coast on Friday evening. Hailey Bicknell – who tallied a team-high three shots – was a leader up front for the Purple Eagles.
 
Game Summary

• Niagara's first opportunity of the game came early on a second-minute corner kick. Kelsey Araujo's ball found Veda Hensel, but Hensel put the ball over the bar on the shot.
• Between the 29th and 33rd minute, the Purple Eagles produced a plethora of scoring opportunities that nearly tied the game up, but a shot wide, offside and a save kept FGCU up.
• In the 84th minute, Shania van Nuland – who entered the game in relief of Sabrina Locas – made a sturdy diving save worthy of a second look.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Hadley Bucken was on the pitch for 85 of the game's 90 minutes. She, along with Kelsey Araujo (82), were the only players on for 80-plus minutes.

Coach's Corner 

• "We played a very good team tonight and we played extremely well. I was very proud of our effort, desire, and work rate. We're disappointed with the result, but for a while tonight we were the better team so we can use this result to continue to grow." - head coach Peter Veltri 

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles play the second game in Florida on Sunday, Sept. 2. They will be at Florida Atlantic for a 1 p.m. start time.

 

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