Wednesday night the UB Women’s Soccer (3-1-1, 0-0-0 MAC) team defeated The Niagara University Purple Eagles (3-2-0, 0-1-0 MAAC) 2-0 in a thrilling match under the lights. A win over a Big 4 rival is a promising sign as the Bulls head into the bulk of their season and begin to face in-conference opponents.
The opening minutes were slightly hectic, with both sides struggling to settle into possession. Niagara had trouble in the attacking third, with poor touches and control breaking down their forward play. Buffalo was able to quickly shake off their early struggles and begin to apply pressure with an early shot on goal from 5th year forward Jasmine Guerber that quickly tested Niagara’s goalkeeper.
In the 11th minute, Guerber forced Niagara into another big save with a well-placed shot on target. Just three minutes later, Buffalo broke through when Guerber delivered a perfect ball that junior midfielder Laiken Kiser hammered out of the air and into the net to take a 1-0 lead that held up to halftime.
The second half picked up right where the first left off, with Buffalo continuing to pressure and getting corner after corner to force Niagara deep into their own half. The Bulls doubled their lead in the 71st minute, when another corner kick led to chaos in the six-yard box, and Kiser pounced on the loose ball to score her second goal of the day, securing a 2-0 Buffalo victory.
The Bulls are back at home this Thursday September 11th, to take on Mercyhurst University at 7:00 P.M.. at the UB Stadium.
Ciah Courtney is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at ciah.courtney@ubspectrun.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
