Men’s Soccer falls to Bobcats as time begins to run thin
By Max Kroll, Sports Reporter
It has been a rough year for Canisius men's soccer. The team sits last in the conference with a 1–8–1 overall record and a 0–3–1 conference slate. With their latest 5–0 defeat to the Quinnipiac Bobcats, hope is seemingly running out; however, the team remains confident in their ability to climb the ranks and defy the odds as the season hits its most crucial stretch.
The Griffs have only won one game all year, which came during their Senior Day celebration against nonconference and Division III opponent St. John Fisher. Since that 6–0 win, the Griffs have gone 0–4–1 and have been outscored 16–3. Making the playoffs will be an uphill battle, but not an impossible climb. The Griffs will have to win their final six games to make the playoffs, which is a tall task — but not completely out of the question.
The first opponents the Griffs will face in their last six Metro matchups are a perfectly even 1–1–1 Marist team on Saturday, followed by a trip to Siena next Wednesday. The biggest challenge left on the schedule is the perfect Fairfield Stags on October 24th. What makes the Stags such a threat is their star forward Cristiano Carlos, who has recorded three game–winning goals, which puts him tied for eighth nationally.
Sweeping all of these games would put the Blue and Gold at a 6–3–1 conference record with 19 conference points. While finishing with seven wins is a losing overall record at 7–8–1, the Metro record would push the Griffs into a playoff position. At seven conference wins, the Griffs, who currently only sit three points out of the playoffs with zero wins, would firmly place themselves in a postseason bracket.
When asked about the current standing for Canisius, Head Coach Micheal Tanke commented on the team’s vision moving forward.
“We are focused on making the Metro playoffs. There is no reason for our focus to be any different until we’re mathematically out,” said Tanke.
The fifth-year coach also spoke about the team's struggle to get shots on net and the gameplan going forward, adding, “We need to play better all around; Team defense, transitions, set pieces and attacking. If we can play a complete team game for 90 minutes, goals will come.”
The Blue and Gold’s road ahead will be difficult, but with the right spirit and mentality, the Griffs will be heading to a postseason berth, their first since 2017.
Canisius will take on the Marist Red Foxes this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Buffalo, N.Y. as their path to the Metro tournament continues.
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