Men's Soccer tied Niagara 2-2 but retains Big Four Shield

Good news: Men's Soccer scored some goals. Better news: They retain the Big Four Shield and will have the chance to hold it for the full year with a win over St. Bonaventure later this season.

Less-good news: UB was only able to draw Niagara despite a 2-0 halftime lead at UB Stadium this afternoon. Bautista Pedezert scored in the 87th minute to draw level before a pair of relatively uneventful overtimes and a 2-2 tie. That's the official scoreline, but the teams played a shootout to determine possession of the Big Four Shield, and UB pulled out a 4-3 advantage there.

For all that UB has played from behind in Stu Riddle's tenure - sometimes successfully, sometimes not - they've rarely surrendered leads when they've gotten them. Only thrice in three years has Buffalo held a lead and lost: against San Diego in 2014 and NIU and WVU in 2013. Today was a first in recent memory, though; UB held a two-goal lead and didn't claim victory.

The Bulls staked out their lead early in the game, too. Braden Scales scored the first just five minutes in, converting a long throw in from Marcus Hanson, and Russell Cicerone scored UB's second (and his fifth of the year) less than ten minutes later off some nice passing from Scales and Scott Doney.

Buffalo generally played well for the rest of the first half, though were bailed out when Niagara's Andrew Ferguson missed a penalty in the early going. The second half, though, saw Niagara take seven shots to UB's one, and the Purple Eagles scored at 53' and 87' while playing their way back into the game.

Five cards were issued on the day: two yellows to Buffalo's Scott Doney and Nick Forrester, two yellows to NU's Alex Dimitriu and Ryan Myers, and a red to Niagara's "team," presumably a coach or other member of the staff.

Two goals are Buffalo's best showing since their win against Canisius almost three weeks ago, and the tie breaks the Bulls' four-game losing streak. They've got a mixed weekend coming up with a road match at Stony Brook on Thursday and a home contest against Cornell Sunday.