Niagara Falls, N.Y. - The Le Moyne College women's soccer team were defeated 2-0 by the Purple Eagles of Niagara University Thursday night.

Le Moyne (0-3)
Starters: McPheron (GK), Brown, Carro, Hatch, Day, Cookinham, Lathrop, Vigliotti, Barhoumi, Gilhooly, Cutuli

Niagara (2-0)
Starters: Poissant (GK), Spencer-Wickham, Kristic, Grady, Kulniszewski, Barbeau, Parker, Gratton, Barber, Lucas, Schmidt

Recap:
The Dolphins and Purple Eagles of Niagara faced off for the third time in three years, with last year's meeting ending in a 2-0 win for the Purple Eagles.

Within the first two minutes of play, sophomore goalkeeper Mikayla McPheron (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) was called into action, coming off her line quickly and diving at the feet of the Niagara attacker, and clearing the ball to stop the quick attack.

McPheron pulled off her first official save in the 12^th minute, as sophomore midfielder Mahelie Barbeau took a shot down the middle of the Dolphin net. Barbeau would take another shot three minutes later, this time going over the crossbar, resulting in a goal kick for the 'Phins.

The Purple Eagles found their breakthrough in the 18^th minute after senior forward Morgan Kulniszewski capitalized on an error from the 'Phins, before sliding it across the box to sophomore forward Caitlyn Gratton, who calmly placed the ball into the back of the net.

Senior midfielder Lindsey LeBlanc (Westminister, Mass./St. Bernard's) and junior forward Hope Adigun (Clay, N.Y./Liverpool) made their first appearances of the game in the 22^nd and 23^rd minutes of action. Junior defender Maria Komala (Warsaw, Poland/Notre Dame Ohio) and sophomore forward Nicole Calle (Providence, R.I./Cumberland) came on a few minutes later to provide a different look for the 'Phins.

McPheron made her second save of the game in the 33^rd minute, diving to her right and latching onto the ball to keep Le Moyne within striking distance. Freshman midfielder Grace Gironda (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) made her first appearance of the game in the 39^th minute.

McPheron would add another save to her tally late in the first half as the two programs entered halftime with the Purple Eagles taking a 1-0 advantage.

Niagara started the 2^nd half looking for a second goal, as they earned three successive corners to begin action. They eventually found the goal they were looking for, after McPheron was forced to make a challenge in her own box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Purple Eagles. Gratton stepped up to take the penalty, firing a shot past McPheron to score her second goal of the game.

The Dolphins made a few changes in the 59^th and 60^th minute, bringing back on Komala and Gilhooly, and also returning sophomore forward Alivia Day (Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) into the lineup.

Just a minute later, the Dolphins earned their first chance of the game as senior defender Delta Barber of the Purple Eagles committed a foul inside the box, resulting in a yellow card for Barber and a penalty kick for the 'Phins. Fifth year midfielder Gabriella Sylstra (Little Falls, N.Y./Little Falls/Richard Bland/Old Dominion) stepped up to take the penalty, but her effort went over the crossbar as the 'Phins continued to look for their opener.

The two sides continued to battle throughout the second half, as Niagara hit the woodwork, and redshirt sophomore Logan Cookinham (Poland, N.Y./Poland) forced freshman goalkeeper Julia Poissant to make her first save of the game. However, neither side were able to net another goal as the contest finished with the Purple Eagles earning their second victory of the season with a 2-0 win over Le Moyne.

Notable Numbers:
Freshman defender Giana Cutuli (Mexico, N.Y./Mexico), junior midfielder Giovanna Vigliotti (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee), McPheron and Cookinham all made their third consecutive start.

Cookinham and McPheron have played all 270 minutes so far this season.

What's Next:
Following tonight's contest, the Dolphins will continue game 4 of 5 on the road to start their 2025 campaign against Temple University. Action is scheduled to kick off at 4:00 P.M. on ESPN+.