Sept. 3, 2005

Box Score

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - In a game where neither would lead by more than one goal, Duquesne's women's soccer team was tied by Niagara University, 3-3, Saturday afternoon at Niagara Field. The game kept the Dukes undefeated (1-0-1) on the early campaign while the Purple Eagles are now 1-1-1.

Sophomore Kelly Reed (South Park, Pa. / South Park) assisted on two markers as three Dukes found the net. Freshman Michelle Esposito (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Chartiers Valley) and sophomore Faye Rasmussen (Westlake, Ohio / Magnificat) each tallied their first goal of the season while frosh Shannon Rengers (Mt. Lebanon, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon) hit her second.

Niagara took an early lead when Brittany Bisnott fired a shot into the right corner to put the hosts up 1-0 with 18:12 gone in the first. With time close to running out in the opening half, Reed fed Rengers for a 15-footer that knotted the game 1-1 at 42.25.

The Purple Eagles, who outshot the Dukes 22-16 with 11 attempts on goal, regained the lead (2-1) on a header by Aisha Eversley less than three minutes into the second half. The Dukes again tied the game when Esposito rebounded Reed's shot at 54:03. Duquesne got their first lead as sophomore Audra Mathews (Cincinnati, Ohio / Saint Ursula Academy) and freshman Jenna Farneti (Marcellus, N.Y. / Marcellus) set up Rasmussen for DU's 3-2 lead, 72:39 on the clock. Bisnott, the current Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week, got past DU goalie Virginia Bondi (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville) to even the score 3-3 at 78:28.

Duquesne's offense pressed but was unable to pass goalie Katy Owings the rest of regulation and through two overtime periods.

Bondi recorded eight saves while NU's Owings stopped three Duquesne net-bound attempts. Mathews' assist gives her seven points in two games, best for the Red and Blue.

Duquesne's returns to action next weekend, hosting Alabama A&M, Robert Morris and Vermont in the Duquesne Invitational at Rooney Field. The home opener is scheduled for Friday, September 9th at 7:00 p.m. against Vermont. Alabama A&M will take on the Dukes Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2:00 p.m.

Goals by period       1  2 OT O2  Tot-------------------------------------DUQ.................  1  2  0  0 -  3Niagara.............  1  2  0  0 -  3

GOAL   Time Team     Goal Scorer              Assists---------------------------------------------------------- 1.   18:12 NIA      Bisnott, Brittany (5)    (unassisted) 2.   42:25 DUQ      Rengers, Shannon (2)     Reed, Kelly 3.   47:57 NIA      Eversley, Aisha (1)      Langrell, Christina 4.   54:03 DUQ      Esposito, Michelle (1)   Reed, Kelly 5.   72:39 DUQ      Rasmussen, Faye (1)      Farneti, Jenna; MATHEWS, 6.   78:28 NIA      Bisnott, Brittany (6)    Montgomery, Emily