Men’s Soccer’s woes continue in conference play
By Sam Britton, Sports Reporter
The Canisius men’s soccer team played twice in the past week, falling both times. On Saturday, they lost at home to Marist 3–1, and then Wednesday afternoon to Siena in Loudounville, N.Y. 1–0.
The Blue and Gold came into Saturday with an overall record of 1–8–1, and were looking for their first Metro win of the year against the Red Foxes, having three losses and a tie so far in conference play. On the other hand, Marist was an even 1–1–1 in conference play, with a 3–2–4 overall record. Impressively, all three wins had come on the road, where they were undefeated and outscored opponents 9–2. However, that was a stark contrast to their play at home, where they had scored only eight goals in six games without earning a win.
Marist came out and scored early in the seventh minute, when Caio Cavaletti got his sixth conference–leading assist on the season, breaking a tie at five that included Canisius’ Noah Baumslag. The Griffs quickly responded and tied the game at one in the 17th minute when sophomore Larry Jimenez’s shot was redirected to the back post, where senior Gael Arceo was able to tap it into the back of the net. It was Arceo’s second goal of the year while Jimenez’s assist on the play recorded his first career point.
The score was deadlocked until the 60th minute when Marist’s Ronan Hogg set up their captain, Chris Verheul. He tallied his second goal of the game later in the 83rd minute, which sealed the deal for the Poughkeepsie, N.Y. side. For Verheul, it was his fifth and sixth goals on the year, which put him fourth in both goals and points in the conference following Saturday’s win. Verheul was named Metro Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.
On Wednesday, the Griffs were looking for their first road win of the season. This time, the Blue and Gold were matched up against the 2–5–4 Siena Saints, who were riding three straight draws and looking for their first win in Metro play. Siena forward and Metro Preseason Player of the Year, Lucas Almeider, leads the conference in both points and goals, and looked to stay hot after two goals in Siena’s last match. Between the pipes, Saints goalkeeper Bennet Glinder only needed one more clean sheet to climb atop the college’s all–time record.
In a scoreless first half, Canisius goalkeeper Adam Schantz made three saves before finishing the game with a career–high five. While Siena had plenty of mistakes, six fouls and three offsides, Canisius could not capitalize on any of them.
Halfway through the second half, the game looked as though it may stay 0–0 and go down as Siena’s fourth straight tie. However, in the 74th minute, a cross into the box by Benjamin Fogerty was deflected out towards Bruno Osaro, who was tackled by Canisius senior Mason Petrucci, resulting in a Saints penalty kick. The aforementioned Fogerty stepped up for Siena and screamed one past Schantz as he dove left when the ball was sent to the right side of the net. Siena took the lead, which they were able to keep through the 90th minute, and Glinder got his record.
The two losses bump the Griffs down to 1–10–1 on the year. Canisius will now look forward to Saturday, when they face Saint Peter’s at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. at 1 p.m.
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