New Rochelle, NY - After a 3-0 start to the conference portion of its season, the Iona College men's soccer team (6-8-0, 3-2-0) has now dropped two straight with a 1-0 loss to Niagara on this rainy afternoon.  Levi Tesch scored the only goal of the contest for the Purple Eagles (3-7-2, 1-2-1) late in the second half.  It marked the fifth game for the Gaels this season to feature a single score.

The teams endured the wet conditions, going scoreless in the first half.  Iona had a good chance to score in the 39th minute.  Giovanni Destasio had Niagara goalie Jason Whitehead in a face-off outside the box, setting off a shot which was tipped by Whitehead and sent into the crossbar.

The Maroon & Gold broke out in the second period, outnumbering Niagara 10-2 in second-half shots.   Despite controlling a substantial part of the game, the Gaels gave up the lone goal of the day in the 77th minute.  Tesch received a feed from Purple Eagle teammate Stephen Kauble that bounced off his foot.  The slow roller was just out of the reach of Nils Binstock, resulting in the game-winner for Niagara.

Iona held a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks and a 16-6 edge in shot attempts, including five shots on goal.  Binstock made three saves in the net, all coming in the opening half.

The squad will celebrate senior day on Sunday (Oct. 21) with its final home game of the season against Canisius at 12:00 pm.