By: Stephen Lapage
The Canisius men’s soccer team has had a rough stretch of games recently. Coming off of two straight losses and no win since Sept. 2, the Golden Griffins looked for a spark of momentum to elevate their game to the next level and change the direction of their season.
The Canisius Golden Griffins took the field looking to win the last home game of their schedule against their MAAC opponent, the Manhattan Jaspers. Not only was this their last home game of the regular season, but it was also Senior Day for the Griffins. Canisius looked to secure a win to add to their record, and then carry that momentum into their last two games of the season before the MAAC playoffs start.
Before the match, 11 Golden Griffin seniors were honored as a part of the senior day festivities. After being scoreless for the first 20 minutes of the game Manhattan scored a goal to create a 1-0 before going into half time. Canisius battled back to even the score with a huge goal by freshman midfielder, Tarek El-Zammar. Unfortunately, this momentum would not last long as the Jaspers would score two goals in just 3 minutes and 23 seconds. The Jaspers would hold on to this lead as they defeated the Canisius Golden Griffins by a score of 3-1, ending the Griffins Senior Day hopes.
The game was not all sadness for the Griffins, however. El-Zammar’s goal was his first collegiate goal. He becomes the fourth freshman for the Golden Griffins to score this year, joining the likes of midfielder Daniel Longo, midfielder Joseph Roper, and Defender Josh Miller. Canisius senior midfielder Johnny Tekie also tallied two shots on senior night for the Griffins.
Canisius looks to battle back as they take the road for their final two regular-season games this year. Canisius will travel to Hamden, Connecticut to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Saturday Oct.29. They then travel to Lawrenceville, New Jersey to take on the Rider Broncos on Nov. 2 for their last regular season game for the 2022 season.