ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Alyssa Lapp put home Anna Cunningham's rebound in the 83rd minute to lift St. Bonaventure (6-3-0) to a 1-0 win over Niagara (5-2-1) in the final game of the Puma/Big 4 Tournament Sunday afternoon at a rainy McGraw-Jennings Field.
The victory marks the fifth straight for the Bonnies, who also earned first place in the overall Tournament standings.
After a yellow card resulted in a free kick outside the area, Cunningham's shot and rebound found Lapp's foot for the game-winner, snapping Niagara's three-game win spurt and giving St. Bonaventure a victory against the Purple Eagles for the first time since 2004.
"This game had a conference-like intensity to it (because of the Big 4 rivalry)," commented Bonnies' coach Manoj Khettry. "On a day when we didn't play our best, we were still able to grind out a win and create chances to score goals."
St. Bonaventure enjoyed strong play on both ends of the pitch in both games over the weekend, outshooting the opposition 44-16 and earning an 11-2 corner kick advantage in the two games. The defense also made light work in front of keeper Nicole Markert, who made two saves on breakaways in the first half and was seldom tested until Niagara pushed forward in search of the equalizer.
Niagara, which defeated Buffalo 1-0 in the tournament's first game, nearly netted the tying score in the 89th minute when Caitlin Long's hard shot slipped through Markert's hands at the near post. Freshman defender Courtney Hoenicke – stationed at the far post - preserved Markert's 13th career shutout and third this season by booting the ball away from danger.
"I thought all of our players who made the All-Tournament team really stood out," said Khettry of selections Sarah Clark, Shannon Van Riper, Cunningham and Markert. "This was a great weekend for our team."
St. Bonaventure returns to action Sept. 26 at Siena after a one-week hiatus.
2010 Puma/Big 4 Tournament Standings & All-Tournament Team
1. St. Bonaventure University(6 points)
Sarah Clark (M), Anna Cunningham (F), Nicole Markert (GK), Shannon Van Riper (D)
2. Canisius College (3 points, +2 goal differential)
Laura Ellis (M), Jenny Griffin (F), Kelly Reinwald (M)
3. Niagara University (3 points, 0 goal differential)
Danielle Kennedy (D), Jen Kimoto (D)
4. University Buffalo (0 points)
Lauren Coviello (M), Courtney Gross (M)
NOTES: In the current five-game win streak Markert has played 405 minutes with three shutouts and just one goal allowed … Markert also turned in a clean sheet in the first half of the Bonnies' 3-1 win vs. Colgate, where she left with a 3-0 lead … SBU has outscored its opponents 10-2 in its last five outings … St. Bonaventure leads the series against Niagara 19-8-1 … Canisius' 3-0 defeat of Buffalo in Sunday's opener earned the Golden Griffins second place in the standings via goal differential over Niagara.
