NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – The No. 4 seed Niagara Purple Eagles won its first round MAAC Championship contest against Siena Sunday evening in penalty kicks after a 1-1 score through 110 minutes of action. Jamie Barry made two saves in the shootout to help the Purple Eagles advance to the semifinal round against Quinnipiac.
 
 Game Recap
 First Half
• Gabriel Mikina sent a free kick into the box that would bounce off the Siena keeper and trickle in front for Rodrigo Almeida who tapped it home to give NU a 1-0 lead in the third minute of action.
• Niagara would have two more opportunities to improve on its lead by the 10-minute mark, but both came up empty.
• In the 24th to 28th minute Niagara took three shots in attempt to extend its lead, but the Siena back line and goalie would keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the Purple and White.
• The Siants took three shots in the first half but Jamie Barry ended the half without a save.    
 
 Second Half
•  Barry would have to leap to make his first save in the 59th minute to keep Siena off the board.
• After Niagara took a pair of shots, Siena quickly turned the momentum in its direction, leading to the equalizer in the 80th minute of play.
• NU would try and get its lead back in the final 10-minutes with a pair of off-target shots.
 
Overtime
• Niagara outshot Siena, 5-2 during the OT period but was unable to recapture the lead.
 
Penalty Shootout
• Almeida, Stephen Hasse, Jayson Repine and Mikina each made their penalty shots to help NU advance to the semi's.
• After surrendering goals to the first two Saints, Barry stopped the third before making the diving stop in round five to seal the win for NU.   
 
 Niagara Notes
• Niagara advances to the MAAC semifinals for the first time since its MAAC Championship run in 2012.
• Almeida recorded his eighth goal of the season with the first half tally.
• Mikina registered his second assist of the season on the Almeida goal.
• Barry made five saves in the win. 
 
 Up Next
 • Niagara will take on No. 1 Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn., on Thursday. Game time and network (ESPN+/3) are TBD.  
 
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