Joerger’s First Collegiate Goal Powers Griffs Past Jaspers

By Andrew Nowel, Sports Reporter

Ten months ago, the women’s soccer team was one game shy of the conference championship. Now as the new season begins, a new 11 take the pitch in hopes of returning to that moment. The race began Saturday Sept. 6 in Manhattan, and sophomore Meghan Joerger stole the show with a game she’ll never forget.

The Griffs jumped on the offensive early, but were not able to put a shot on net. Canisius’ freshman goalkeeper Chloe Tseros made the first save on the first shot attempt of the game. In the 28th minute, senior Skylar Cornell assisted the first goal of the game, scored by Joerger. 

The feeling of scoring her first collegiate goal was “unlike anything I had felt before”, said Joerger after helping her team grab their first win of the season. “The first feeling I felt was shock, but it just felt really good with my teammates supporting me and celebrating the moment. It’s really nice to start off MAAC play with a win.”

Joerger grew up in Pittsford, NY and was only making her third collegiate start in Saturday’s game. She’s one of the new pieces Griffs Head Coach Ryan Louis has had to work into the new-look offense. Taking over a role that has led her to seeing more scoring chances, Joerger and her teammates are building their confidence as the season progresses. “We hadn’t scored a goal before Saturday and we were lacking confidence in our non-conference games, so now we’ve gotten that first goal, it’ll help with our team confidence going forward,” explained Joerger.

Junior Jessica Whitaker added to the Griffs lead only a couple minutes later to give them a 2–0 advantage over the Jaspers, a type of lead that is dangerous, says Joerger. “We always say being up 2–0 is one of the most dangerous leads just because you can get complacent, but we were able to hold strong. Scoring back to back helped us to solidify what we needed to do for the rest of the game.”

The two-goal lead held until the second half when the Jaspers were able to put the ball past Tseros, but she didn’t allow another goal the rest of the game, giving the Griffs a 2–1 victory. Tseros moved into fourth in MAAC standings with 24 saves, a showing that the Griffs had found to inspire their defense after losing Jordan Spencer, last season’s senior goalkeeper. 

When Joerger was asked about the impact of Tseros, she complimented the confidence that the freshman from Australia has shown in the early part of the season. “She’s very hardworking and holds herself accountable, always looking for ways to improve,” Joerger said on Wednesday. “It can be nerve-wracking as a freshman, but she’s stepped up and done really well.”

The Griffs return home with a 1–4 record to play in their home opener against the Merrimack Warriors Saturday, Sept. 13. Joerger and the Griffs look to build off their first win, and make it to November, where the hopes of a championship lie.

Photo Courtesy of Tom Wolf