By Stephen Lapage
The Golden Griffins traveled to Washington D.C. to play their first game of the season against the George Washington Revolutionaries, ultimately leaving with their first victory of the season.
The first half was back and forth between the two teams. Senior Maddie Mazur started the scoring for the Griffs, as she netted one with 9:02 left in the first quarter. The Revolutionaries were able to score right before the end of the quarter to tie the score at one. The Griffs opened the second quarter with two goals, one from senior Caroline Netti and another from senior Paige Stachura. The Revolutionaries scored three unanswered before Stachura and Netti each scored another for the Griffs to take the lead. George Washinton scored before halftime, tying the game at five.
The Griffs came out of halftime firing, scoring six unanswered goals. Netti and Stachura continued their offensive contributions while freshmen Maddie Fitzgerald, Ashlyn Dhandwar and Megan Previdi each scored their first collegiate goals. George Washington was able to net one goal before the end of the game, but Canisius came out with an 11–6 victory.
The Griffs had two players given MAAC honors this week as Previdi was named MAAC Rookie of the Week with her three-point debut, and sophomore Jody Chu was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week with her 10-save performance.
“They push us as much as we push them,’” Stachura said when talking about the younger players on the team. “Having that relationship where I am friends with them but still battle is a cool relationship we do have. They always push me.”
In the game, Stachura scored her 100th career goal for Canisius, just a year after her former teammate Skylar McArthur reached the threshold herself.
“The off-season training really helped me out,” Stachura said. We do a lot in the fall to help us get comfortable with taking shots in uncomfortable situations. We have a deep team with a lot of [offensive] threats so it is hard for teams to choose someone to pick off.”
The Griffs go on the road on Saturday, Feb. 17. The team will play against Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, for an 11 a.m. faceoff.