NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Gabriel Mikina and Rafael Freitas each netted a first-half goal, leading Niagara (1-2-0) to a 2-1 win over Binghamton (2-1-0) in a non-conference men's soccer game on Friday night at Niagara Field. The match marked the first of five consecutive road contests for the Bearcats.

Mikina's goal came in the 23rd minute and was assisted by Ali Alomari and Herman Aalberg. Freitas, meanwhile, padded the lead to 2-0 in the 30th. Alomari tallied his second assist of the night.

The Bearcats settled down in the second half and finally broke the shutout on junior forward Oliver Svalander's goal in the 82nd minute. He finished off a cross by redshirt junior midfielder Parker McKnight.

Over the final eight minutes, play went back and fourth but Binghamton was unable to record a shot during that stretch.

"I thought we played very poor in the first half," head coach Paul Marco said. "We lacked the intensity, urgency and grit that we showed during the preseason. But I thought in the second half, we were terrific and created a lot of good scoring chances. We just ran out of time at the end."
Junior goalkeeper Mats Roorda finished the match with seven saves, including five in the first half.

Niagara finished with a 17-14 advantage in total shots, including a 10-6 margin in the decisive first half of play. Shots on goal also favored the Purple Eagles – by a 9-5 margin.

Binghamton heads to Siena on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. match.