By: Colin Richey
The women’s soccer team finished the regular season with a pair of ties to finish the year above .500. Thanks to the strong end to the season, the team has qualified for the 2022 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship.
In Canisius’ last conference game, they faced a struggling Manhattan team with just one win against a MAAC opponent this year. Freshman forward Mia Iacona netted the only goal for Canisius, her second on the season. Sophomore midfielder Emma Oliphant led the team with 4 shots, 1 of which was on goal.
Manhattan was able to capitalize on their only shot on goal of the game to force a 1-1 draw. Despite outshooting Manhattan 15-2, including a 10-0 shot differential in the second half, Canisius was unable to find the back of the net for a second time. Regardless, the tie from Canisius (plus some help around the conference) clinched a playoff berth for the Griffins. This is the first time the team has clinched a playoff berth since 2016.
Their final game of the regular season was against a non-conference opponent at Delaware State, where the Griffins once again tied 1-1. Junior defenseman Sophie Chelini scored her first goal of the season, and second of her career, and also led the team in shots with 3 attempts. Freshman forward Skylar Cornell was credited with the assist, her second of the season. Sophomore goaltender Jordan Spencer made 2 saves on 3 shots faced to help secure the tie for Canisius. Once again, the Griffins dominated the shots, finishing with 17 compared to Delaware’s 7.
The Griffins now move onto the 2022 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship. Their first match will be on Sunday October 30th at 2:00 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where they will face off against the #4 seed Rider, who they defeated 2-1 in the regular season.