The fourth-seeded Iona Gaels fell short to the first-seeded Loyola Greyhounds 1-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinals.

In the 78th minute, Greyhounds sophomore Connor Thompson netted his seventh goal of the year to land the Greyhounds in the conference championship game. The Greyhounds outshot the Gaels 16-14.

Iona sophomore goalie Borja Barbero made six saves compared to Loyola junior goalie Thurman Van Ripper’s career-best nine saves.

The Gaels finished off the 2012 season with a 7-11 overall record and 5-2 conference record. Senior forward Ansger Otto led the Gaels with 18 points and a team high seven goals. Junior play creator Franklin Castellanos led the squad with six assists and will be a key component to the Gaels’ success next season.

Senior captain Douglas Stephens was tied for third with four goals in his final season with the Gaels, finishing his career at Iona with a total of nine goals.

Stephens had some inspiring words for the team; “I am very proud of all of them.” He continued, saying, “Keep working hard in the offseason and continue to keep Iona as one of the top programs in the MAAC.”

Iona will be loosing key elements of their team however, their talented young student athletes will give them the opportunity to continue to succeed in the MAAC.

In the other semifinal matchup the two-seeded Siena Saints were upset by the three-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles 2-1 in an overtime thriller that ended in 15 seconds. The Purple Eagles earned their revenge against the Saints after losing to them earlier in conference play.

The Loyola Greyhounds and the Niagara Purple Eagles were in a defensive stalemate and regulation time was not enough to crown a MAAC champion.

Both teams had opportunities in the first half but were unable to capitalize to take the lead. The Greyhounds’ best opportunity came in the 11th minute from freshman Larry Ndjock, but he was unable to finish. Niagara senior goalie Brett Petricek made key saves to keep the game scoreless.

It was evident the intensity picked up in the second half as both teams pushed to go ahead but neither team was able to find the back of the net.

In the first sudden death overtime period, the Purple Eagles were in total control with two great opportunities. Senior Bryan Da Cruz took a free kick right outside the box and hit the ball right over the crossbar. Minutes later Greyhounds goalie Van Ripper snatched the ball out of the air off of a cross.

The two sides entered double overtime as they did in the 2009 MAAC championship game. However, this time around the Purple Eagles were on the better side. Minutes in on a give and go, Da Cruz took a shot with the outside of his foot towards the near post and beat Van Ripper for the win.

Niagara earned their first ever MAAC Championship and clinched an automatic bid for the College Cup.