LOUDONVILLE – The Siena Saints restarted their winning ways on Wednesday afternoon, as they defeated the Niagara Purple Eagles by a final score of 12-8 behind a pair of five point days from sophomores Nicole McNeely and Kerry Gerety.
 
With the win, Siena (7-5, 3-1) has now won all four of their last five, and seven of their last nine games.
 
The Green and Gold were led on offense by five goals from McNeely, who scored three of her goals in the second half. Gerety scored twice on the game, but dished three assists. Junior Annie Brennan also scored twice with Gerety, as Julia Pelcher, Kaitlyn Dowsett, and Kaitlyn Lembo each scored a goal as well. Freshman Mary Soures tossed out a pair of assists as the Saints totaled up five on the day. Senior Sammy Horton made 12 saves on the game en route to her seventh win of the season in net.
 
Leading Niagara (3-9, 0-3) was a two-goal day from Rachel MacCheyne on six shots. Carolina Crump and Audrey Fithalleach scored a goal and an assist for two points, while the Purple Eagles had four other players with a single goal. Goalie Maren Geiger stopped 12 shots for Niagara in the loss.
 
Both sides swapped scored through the first 10 minutes of play. After a goal from Pelcher tied things at 3-3 with 19:48 remaining in the first half, Siena was able to grab some scores to create a lead. Gerety and Lembo were able to score within a minute of Pelcher's tally to give the Saints a 5-3 lead with 18:36 to play. After a Niagara score, Siena would score two more goals thanks to Brennan and Dowsett for a 7-4 lead with 9:11 left in the first half. But Niagara charged back over the final minutes of the half, putting up two goals to come within a goal at the half, 7-6.
 
Niagara tied the game just over eight minutes into the second half as both goalies were put to the test in the first few minutes. Fithall would score to tie the score at 7-7, with Niagara capping a 3-0 run. But Siena would turn around and put up a 3-0 run of their own over a span of two minutes from the 17:35 mark to the 15:30 mark of the half. McNeely, Gerety, and Brennan all were able to score, giving Siena a 10-7 lead. From there, it was a defensive game for the Saints, only allowing one more Niagara goal the rest of the way, and adding another pair of goals as McNeely scored her fifth goal for the dagger with 4:31 to play. The Saints would keep it away from their defensive end and hold on for the win.
 
The Green and Gold outshot the Purple Eagles 31-25, and won the ground ball battle 22-15. Siena also forced Niagara into 16 turnovers, while the Saints turned the ball over 14 times.
 
The Saints will return to action this Saturday, April 6 when they travel to West Long Branch, NJ to take on the Monmouth Hawks. The opening draw is slated for 1 p.m.