By Colin Richey, Assistant Sports Editor
The Canisius men’s soccer team tied Fairfield 1–1 on Saturday and lost 3--1 to Siena on Wednesday, dropping to 0–3–2 in conference play this season.
Against Fairfield, the Griffins got on the scoreboard first. In the 36th minute, sophomore midfielder Glodie Mata registered his third goal of the season on his third chance of the sequence. He beat Fairfield’s goalie to the ball in the 18-yard box, and attempted to chip it over the diving keeper, hitting the post on the chance. Mata was able to recover the rebound, but his second shot attempt was blocked by a Fairfield defender. Finally, Mata blasted the ball into the back of the net on his third shot attempt. Mata’s shots were the first on goal of the game.
Fairfield responded in the 63rd minute, with a shot from just outside the 18-yard box trickling through junior goalkeeper Jack Petrie to tie the game. Despite multiple chances from both teams, neither were able to break the tie, resulting in a 1–1 draw. With Mata’s third goal of the season, he joins sophomore midfielders Daniel Longo and Michael Switala as the third Griffin with at least three goals this year, the first time since 2018 that the team has had three 3+ goal scorers.
Once again, Canisius opened the scoring, this time against Siena. Junior midfielder Dylan Rice recorded his first goal of the season. Rice dribbled into the box but was dispossessed by Siena. The ball found its way to senior defender Inder Thind, who crossed the ball to the back post. Rice kept with the play, and connected with the cross on a header to take the lead in the 39th minute.
On the play, Thind commented that he was in position to make the play due to a formation change by Head Coach Michael Tanke. Against Siena, the Griffs were playing with five defenders in the back, with Thind occupying the right outside back spot for all 90 minutes of the game. Thind felt comfortable in this spot, explaining that he’s played, “1000+ minutes at the position, so it’s nothing new.”
Canisius held the lead until the 70th minute of play, when Siena began a scoring streak, notching three goals in a span of seven minutes and 34 seconds. By the 78th minute, the Saints held a 3–1 lead.
Thind was recently named Male Student-Athlete of the Month for September. The defender acknowledged that he’s worked hard on and off the field: “Focusing on my GPA and my play with the team, it means a lot to me to get this award. I’ve been working hard, and hopefully it continues to pay off in the classroom and on the field.”
The Griffs travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland to face Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday, October 14th at 1 p.m., where they will look to earn their first MAAC win of the season.