Men’s Soccer drops pair of conference games

By Kaitlyn Belile, Assistant Features Editor 

The Men’s Soccer team lost two games to MAAC opponents this week, falling to Iona in a 3–2 loss last Saturday, and losing to Siena 4–0 on Wednesday. The two home losses drop the Griffs to 1–2 in conference play, but contributions from freshman forward Noah Baumslag have provided optimism for the offense.

On Saturday, the Gaels opened the scoring in the 37th minute, when a cross from Iona deflected off a Canisius defender and into the back of the net. The Griffs responded in the 41st minute when sophomore Romero Nicolazzo scored his third goal of the season. 

In the second half, Iona’s Chris Morandi retook the lead for the Gaels, but Canisius’ Elliott Weber responded in the 85th minute to tie the game. The junior delivered a header off a free kick from Baumslag to even the score 2–2. The Griffs failed to force a draw, surrendering a goal in the 89th minute, ultimately falling 3–2 to Iona. 

Baumslag led the Griffs with five shots and three shots on goal, playing 58 minutes of the contest. He credited his recent success to the team, explaining that they “built a really strong community, which has helped us throughout all the games.” Baumslag is learning a lot about leadership from the older players on the team, stating that “a lot of the older guys have taken a big role in bringing us [freshmen] in and being leaders.” 

The freshman forward is building off a successful August, when he was named MAAC Rookie of the Week after his first collegiate game. Against VMI, he registered three points, the first Griff to accomplish that since Troy Brady in 2018. 

Against Siena, the Baumslag recorded his third start of the season, and his first against a conference opponent, where he registered a team-high five shots, with two on goal, in the 4–0 loss to the Saints. 

The Griffs look to bounce back on Saturday in Jersey City for a MAAC matchup against Saint Peter’s.

Photo courtesy of Lindy Feider