Harkness strikes late, Griffs hold first in MAAC

By Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor

As each week of September has passed, the Canisius women’s soccer team has progressed, taking down each MAAC opponent that has come to challenge them. With the final weekend in September being a special one in Buffalo, the Griffs showed their resilience behind senior Lizzy Harkness’ go-ahead goal.

It was a weekend that celebrated both the alumni of the women’s soccer team and the families of all Canisius students, and the continuance of the Griffs holding first place in the MAAC. Three wins to start the season was a great way to begin conference play, but the next test came on Saturday when the Iona Gaels came to town.

The Gaels struck first in the 14th minute, but the Griffs were able to capitalize on a mistake made by Iona. Senior Mia Iacona was left uncovered by the Gaels defense, and sophomore Azaria Fagan completed a cross over to Iacona who finished the play with her first goal of the season, tying the game 1–1. 

Griffs Head Coach Ryan Louis noticed a difference in play from previous games, as the slower start led the Gaels to jump on the board early. “We found ourselves defending often and when we did get the ball, we put it into areas we didn’t have to,” said Louis at halftime.

Both teams came out of the locker room hungry for the lead, but Canisius was able to force Iona to be overagressive, drawing a penalty kick in the 54th minute. Junior Jessica Whitaker drilled the shot into the back of the net, her third goal of the season giving the Griffs a 2–1 lead. The Gaels weren’t done, as 20 minutes later, they got the ball past freshman goalkeeper Chloe Tseros to tie the game at two. With the clock under 15 minutes, the pressure continued to mount.

The Griffs were given an opportunity with less than 12 minutes left to play as Whitaker lined up for a corner kick. As the ball came in, Harkness was the first one to touch it, heading the ball into the back of the net for a 3–2 lead. After the game, Harkness said she was just doing her job. “I was just trying to get my head on it, trying to put it on goal and see if we could get a deflection,” she explained postgame. As the captain of the team, Harkness is proud of the effort that the team has continuously shown this season. “It’s exciting and it just shows how far we’ve come as a team this early in the season,” she said.

For the coach of the Griffs, it’s something that he has seen throughout the season, adjusting at halftime to outlast their opponents. “Azaria started to win those 50/50s when we put her in the middle and it allowed us to propel forward a little bit more,” said Louis postgame. Whitaker continues to shine in the spotlight and Louis commented on how her development betters everyone else on the team. “Very fortunate to have a player that can deliver like she does and her set pieces are spectacular while she’s able to link up really well with her teammates,” he explained.

The Griffs traveled to Sacred Heart to take on the Pioneers on Wednesday, looking to improve to 5–0 in the MAAC, but the Pioneers had other plans. Getting off to a fast start, Sacred Heart struck early and held the lead for the majority of the game. The Griffs tallied their only goal of the match with junior Maggie Cregan’s first collegiate goal, a bright spot in the 3–1 defeat. It was a disappointing end to their four-game win streak, but the team remains confident as they get ready for a quick turnaround on Saturday when they return to Demske to host the Fairfield Stags. With their 4–1 record in conference play, the Griffs hold first place as October begins.

Photo courtesy of Lindy Feider