NIAGARA FALLS, New York – Marist men's soccer (3-5, 0-1 MAAC) fell to Niagara (3-6, 1-0 MAAC) in the conference season opener. The Red Foxes beat the Purple Eagles in every statistical category, but gave up the deciding goal in the 64
th minute.
- In the 16th minute, Samad Bounthong missed a rocket off of the crossbar as the Red Foxes put pressure on the Purple Eagles with three shots to start the game.
- The score remained 0-0 after 30 minutes of play, despite some close attempts from Marist.
- Just before the first half ran out, Marcus Ginman's shot bounced off Niagara's Josh Savoni's gloves and was nearly tapped in by Alex Cancilla, but the Purple Eagles held out to keep the game scoreless at the break.
- In the first 45 minutes, Marist had the advantage in shots 6-3, shots on goal 4-0 and corner kicks 4-2.
- At 15 minutes into the second half the Red Foxes had already reeled off five more shots. But still, none were able to find the net.
- Niagara's Rodrigo Almeida capitalized on a brief opportunity to beat Samuel Ilin and gave the Purple Eagles a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute.
- Joe Mac had a close shot in the 75th minute, but it flew just over the crossbar as Niagara kept their 1-0 lead.
- The Red Foxes collected a series of dead ball situations in the attacking third as the clock wound down, but they were unable to capitalize and were turned away by the Purple Eagles in the MAAC opener.
- Marist had the advantage in shots 16-5 and shots on goal 6-1.
- The Red Foxes tallied eight corner kicks while the Purple Eagles earned five.
- Marist fouled eight times but drew 13 from Niagara.
- Marcus Ginman returned to the lineup after a five game absence, while Jonah Conway made his season debut.
- This was the sixth game of the season where the Red Foxes held an advantage in shots.
"We're beyond frustrated with the loss today; we gave away three points. Even though we controlled much more of the play, we just didn't do enough to find a way to win the game," stated Head Coach Matt Viggiano. "Conference play can be a different animal and we showed some immaturity today. We'll learn from it and be ready to go next week."
The Red Foxes continue MAAC play in Hamden, Connecticut to take on Quinnipiac (3-3-2, 1-0 MAAC) on Wednesday, October 9. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.