Final Stats

Sept. 2, 2007

Contact: Brian McCann

NIAGARA, N.Y. - Cleveland State freshman Nick Harpel made six saves and earned a shutout in his first collegiate start as the Vikings blanked Niagara, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at Niagara Field.

"We played with a lot of energy today and it was good to get a win, especially on the road," CSU head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "The kids played well and we'll continue to get better as the season progresses."

The Vikings took a 1-0 lead 9:42 into the match as a Niagara defender headed in a crossing attempt by Viking senior Roshard Gilbert for an own goal. CSU made it 2-0 in the 18th minute as sophomore Marco DiFranco netted the third goal of his career off an assist from sophomore Mitch Boyer's free kick.

That would be all the scoring the CSU defense needed as it posted its first shutout of the season. Niagara did finish with more shots (17-15) and held a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks, but could not score upon Harpel and the CSU defense.

"It was great for the defense to get a shutout," Kazemaini said. "We were strong all day, especially in the second half, and Nick made a lot of saves that would have fooled a lot of keepers."

CSU (1-1) will return to action on Wednesday when it travels to Western Michigan for a 4:00 pm match.