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Jo Preci makes a pass during a match against Fairfield
Lindy Feider
2
Winner Niagara NIA (1-1-0, 0-1-0)
1
Canisius CAN (0-3-0, 0-2-0)
Winner
Niagara NIA
(1-1-0, 0-1-0)
2
Final
1
Canisius CAN
(0-3-0, 0-2-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Niagara NIA 1 1 2
Canisius CAN 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Niagara's Late Score Bests Men's Soccer

Asher Barnes scored twice for Niagara, including the game-winning goal in the 85th minute, to help propel the Purple Eagles to a 2-1 victory over "Battle of the Bridge" rival Canisius at the Demske Sports Complex on Thursday.
 
Niagara (1-1-0, 0-1-0 MAAC) earned their first victory of the season, while the Golden Griffins (0-3-0, 0-2-0 MAAC) lost their third consecutive game to open the season.
 
Junior Jo Preci had a chance to open the scoring early for the Griffs in the seventh minute after redshirt sophomore Ryan Birgeneau blocked an attempted pass by a Niagara defender. Birgeneau lobbed a pass to Preci inside the penalty area, but his right-footed strike sailed high of the goal.
 
Barnes would net his first goal of the game in the 30th minute after a failed clearing attempt. Canisius goalkeeper Spencer Catalano attempted to clear the ball out of the Griffs' defensive zone but hit Niagara's Ali Alomari and the ball rolled right to Barnes, who hit the far post to deflect the ball into the lower-left part of the net.
 
Canisius responded rather quickly, as Preci would score the Griffs' lone goal of the contest just 79 seconds following Barnes. After a corner kick for the Griffs, sophomore Julius Schoner pushed the ball toward Preci, who hit a high-arching shot with his right foot that hit the right post, bouncing into the top-right corner.
 
Coming out of the halftime break, Niagara would apply offensive pressure to the Griffs' defense, getting four shots on target in the first 20 minutes of the half.
 
Following a Niagara throw-in, Federico Cugge would push the ball past a pair of Canisius defenders to an open Barnes, who blistered a left-footed strike past Catalano to give Niagara the lead in the 85th minute.
 
Catalano, making his collegiate debut for Canisius, earned the start in net and made six saves. Josh Savoni earned the victory for Niagara, making four saves in goal.
 
Niagara outshot the Griffs, 13-7, and also had the advantage in shots on target, 8-5.
 
Head Coach Dermot McGrane's Postgame Comments
"Every time we play against Niagara, it is a tough game and today was no exception. We had a few different players in the lineup for today's contest and it was nice to see those players gain valuable experience. We need to learn some lessons from today so that we can get a better result on Sunday when we play once again."
 
Game Notes
• Thursday was the 62nd meeting between the "Battle of the Bridge" rivals. Niagara improved its record to 32-25-5 all-time against the Griffs.
• The loss for Canisius snapped a six-game unbeaten streak to Niagara. It is the first match the Blue & Gold has lost to the Purple Eagles since a 1-0 defeat on Oct. 30, 2013.
• Barnes' 30th-minute tally broke Niagara's scoreless drought against Canisius, the first time the Purple Eagles had scored against the Griffs since the their victory in 2013. The shutout streak lasted just over 635 minutes of game action.
• Preci's goal in the 31st minute is the first tally for the Italian since scoring his first collegiate goal in a road contest against Michigan State on Aug. 31, 2018, a span of 937 days.
• Schoner, with his goal last week against Siena, has points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
• Catalano's six-save performance is the most saves in a game since former Griff Fabio D'Errico made six in the 2019 season finale against Marist.
 
Up Next
The two teams will meet again in the latter half of the home-and-home series on Sunday with a 2 p.m. kickoff from Niagara Field. Canisius is 1-0-2 in its last three contests on Monteagle Ridge.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius men's soccer, please follow @GriffsSoccer on Instagram and Twitter.
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