By Andrew Crooks, Contributor
The Canisius University women’s soccer team played two important matches this week against the Marist Red Foxes and the Niagara Purple Eagles. These were the last two games of the regular season heading into postseason play for the Golden Griffins.
On Saturday the Golden Griffins traveled to Marist, beating the Red Foxes 2–0. This game was highlighted by sophomore Skylar Cornell scoring both goals in the game. Cornell scored an unassisted goal in the 49th minute to start off the second half strong for Canisius. Then, junior Emma Oliphant played the key pass to Cornell in the 86th minute to finish off the second goal. Senior Jessica Jones recorded her second shutout of the season for the Golden Griffins. The Red Foxes couldn’t gain traction offensively, as they only recorded 1 shot on goal compared to the 9 shots on goal from the Golden Griffins.
This past Wednesday, the Niagara Purple Eagles came to Buffalo to take on the Golden Griffins in the most recent edition of the Battle of the Bridge. The Golden Griffins came out with another crucial MAAC win by a score of 2–1. Freshman Jessica Whitaker played a corner into the box for Cornell to score her third goal of the week in the 19th minute. After a Purple Eagle goal, Oliphant added another goal to regain the lead in the 40th minute. The score would hold at 2-1 as the Canisius defense held strong throughout the second half. The Golden Griffins outshot the Purple Eagles by a margin of 25–9.
With these two results, the Golden Griffins will host the first round of the postseason this Sunday, Oct. 29 at the Demske Sports Complex. The game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. kickoff against the Rider Broncs, and this will be the first time in program history that women’s soccer hosts a home playoff game. The winner of this game will then travel to Fairfield, Connecticut to take on the Stags in the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 2.
As the MAAC tournament starts this weekend, come out and support the red hot Canisius women’s soccer team as they look to get back to the MAAC semi-finals.