College report: Niagara advances
Senior Chiara Greco assisted on the tying goal late in regulation and scored the game-winner in the ninth minute of overtime to give Niagara a 2-1 victory over Marist and a berth in today's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship game against Loyola at noon at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Greco's game-winning shot from about 18 yards was assisted by Brittany Benthin (Medina), who beat two defenders before passing to Greco. Niagara trailed, 1-0, at halftime and forced OT when Michelle Emery scored in the 87th minute off a pass from Greco.
"I'm proud of the way the girls came back," head coach Peter Veltri said. "The comeback showed the true character of our team, which is full of heart."
The sixth-seeded Purple Eagles (10-9-1) will meet top-seed Loyola, a 3-1 winner over Canisius, at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. Sylvia Kowalski scored the only goal for the Golden Griffins, who finished 13-4-3 while setting a school record for most wins in a season.
Greco, Kowalski and Kelly Reinwald of Canisius were named to the All-MAAC first team.
• St. Bonaventure slipped to the No. 4 seed for the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a 2-0 loss to visiting Fordham. The Bonnies (10-10, 7-4) will face No. 5 Saint Louis on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Charlotte, N.C.
Women's volleyball
Niagara tied a school record with its 19th win and clinched a berth in the 2009 MAAC Championships with a 25-23, 25-15, 25-15 sweep of Rider. Michelle James had 36 assists for the Purple Eagles (19-7, 12-3).
Niagara County Community College swept Monroe CC and Jamestown CC, both 3-0, Sunday to win the NJCAA Region III Division III tournament at Corning. For the first time in school history, the Trailblazers (27-8) advanced to the national championships Nov. 13. at Rochester, Minn.
NCCC's Margo Pagano (Cheektowaga) was named tournament MVP and teammates Kathie Kreppenneck (63 assists Sunday) and Ashley Berry made the all-tournament team. Erie Community College, which placed Katie Boxler on the all-tournament team, lost to Jamestown in five games in the semifinals.
Men's hockey
Canisius slipped to 1-3-0 in Atlantic Hockey play as Air Force gained a split in the weekend series with a 4-1 win over the Golden Griffins at Buffalo State. Dave Kostuch scored the only goal for Canisius (2-6-0 overall).
Men's soccer
• Senior Stephen Kauble's 39th minute goal gave Niagara a 1-0 win over visiting Marist. John Fiutowski made three saves in the shutout. Niagara (6-8-2, 4-2-1) moved into fourth place in the MAAC and currently holds the final spot for the MAAC Tournament.
• An "own goal" that went in off a defender in the 88th minute gave Canisius a 2-1 victory over Siena. Sam Margetts scored for Canisius (5-10-2, 4-3) on an assist from senior Alan McGreal, who notched his school-high 97th career point.
• St. Bonaventure defeated host Massachusetts for the first time since 1999 when Fabrizio Savarino's goal stood up for a 1-0 victory. Keeper David Flynn made one save in his fifth shutout of the season.
Wrestling
Desmond Green at 149 pounds was the only University at Buffalo wrestler to win a championship at the weekend's UB Open, which attracted 248 competitors on 27 teams. Green defeated Maryland's Jon Kohler, 10-7, in the final. UB's Kevin Smith (133) and Jimmy Hamel (197) were runners-up in their divisions.
UB's Alex Kalinin won the D singles flight of the Cornell Wicked Invitational with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Marist's Marcus Von Nordheim. Kalinin finished the tournament with a 4-0 record, winning two of his matches in super-tiebreakers, including his semifinal win over Bastian Bornkessel of Binghamton.
Football
Buffalo State linebacker Eddie Weiser (Grand Island) was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Rookie of the Week for his performance (eight tackles and a 47-yard interception return) in Saturday's 33-7 loss to William Paterson.
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