Griffs headed to MAACs, rematch Marist Sunday

By Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor

Last Saturday, women’s soccer took down Saint Peter’s in a 5–1 victory on senior day to propel them forward in the race for the MAAC Tournament. Before taking the field on Wednesday, the Griffs punched their ticket to the MAAC Tournament and followed with a win over local rival Niagara later that night. With the win and help from other teams in the conference, the Griffs will be set to host the Marist Red Foxes, a rematch that both teams are looking forward to.

Prior to the final week of the regular season Canisius hosted St. Peter’s on Saturday where they celebrated five seniors. Four of them have been with the program for all four seasons, while grad student Cayla Cajilig joined the Griffs this season. Skylar Cornell, Lizzy Harkness, Mia Iacona and Emily Brewer have been the core of the Ryan Louis era when they joined the team as freshmen. To kick off senior day, Cornell scored at the 29th minute with her second goal of the season. Four other Griffs tallied goals of their own in the five-goal victory. “Everyone was super excited and ready for today and it means a lot to not only the seniors, but to the entire team,” Cornell said Saturday after the game.

Not only did the Griffs have their key players earn points in the win, Head Coach Ryan Louis also gave opportunities to multiple players who capitalized on those opportunities. Sophomore goalkeeper Ally Smith entered the game with eight minutes remaining for her first collegiate minutes, making two saves. Freshman Emilia Nuttall and junior Jazmin Herrera notched their first collegiate goals, adding their names to Canisius history. After the game, Herrera wasn’t just ecstatic about her goal, but about the matchup with Griffs’ Battle of the Bridge rival Niagara. “I’m glad my girl Jess Whitaker was able to send me the ball at the end and I was able to capitalize. We’re going into Niagara hot, they’re not ready for us,” said Herrera after Saturday’s win.

Whitaker racked up three assists on Saturday to total her season with five assists and 13 points, but she wasn’t done yet. On Wednesday, a free kick from Whitaker at the 19th minute led directly to a Griffs’ goal, adding another assist to her 14-point season. Harkness was credited with her third goal of the campaign, tying the game 1–1. This changed the entire flow of Wednesday’s game as the Purple Eagles had jumped out to a quick 1–0 lead, but the Griffs held the tie into the second half where three more Griffs tallied goals. Sophomore Azaria Fagan notched her fourth goal of the season while Cornell added her third. Junior Maggie Cregan finished the scoring with her second, giving Canisius a 4–1 victory. Louis commented after the game on how the team started to click on Saturday and continued the momentum into Niagara. “Knowing we’re in a good stretch allowed the girls to go out with a lot more confidence, so I’m proud of them,” said Louis after Wednesday’s win.

With Sacred Heart falling to Saint Peter’s and Marist losing to Rider, the Griffs were able to jump up in the MAAC standings, all the way to the three seed, giving them a home game against the Red Foxes on Sunday in the quarterfinal round of the MAAC Tournament. The best part of the matchup at the Demske for Louis and the Griffs is being home. “For us, our travel schedule is rough, so to have a home game, it’s going to allow us to rest and prepare and hopefully have a good fanbase behind us,” said Louis.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Nowel