September 30th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Midseason Update: The Cause Behind This Year’s Success

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team has had an excellent season as they head into October with a 4-2-4 (1-1-1) record. Behind the exceptional goaltending of Junior Jordan Spencer and offensive production from the underclassmen, the Golden Griffins are ready to continue on their quest to play their best in the MAAC with the leadership from everyone on the team.

The Golden Griffins started the season with a very rough loss, but then went 8 games undefeated until their last game that they had played which was a loss against the Quinnipiac Bobcats last weekend. Head Coach Ryan Louis was really proud of how the girls were playing this season and wanted to see that continue as the season heads into October.

“Really proud of all of the fantastic young women, and even though we’re considered a young team, we’re not getting pushed around,” said Coach Louis on Friday. “We’ve been in pretty much every single game, and I think we’re we are right now is an exciting place.”

Every team needs a solid leader, and the Golden Griffins have that, but it isn’t just 1 person; it’s multiple people, and it’s upperclassmen and underclassmen.

“We have a pretty solid leadership group, and they’re all very different in their own way,” said Coach Louis. “Abby Molloy, who is a 5th year, is like the mother of the group; she takes care of everyone, and she has been here since pretty much Day 1 since I arrived. She really took on that ownership of turning the team around.”

Coach Louis didn’t just mention Molloy as the only leader as he mentioned Junior defender Sophia Konstantinou and Sophomore defender Meghan Heath as both critical parts of who the team is.

“Sophia Konstantinou has been a leader since Day 1, even her Freshman year, and she’s just an unbelievable human being,” said Coach Louis. “She’s one of the backbones to the culture of the program and why we’re so successful. Another leader is Meghan Heath. She is really gritty, really competitive, leads by example, wears her heart on her sleeve, and each of the leaders have gotten a hold on their class of what is expected. The camaraderie, friendship, and respect that they all have for each other, on and off the field, is really telling which I believe is why we are having the season we are having.”

The Golden Griffins are excited to keep playing well as they leave September behind and head into October with winning in the mindset. The Golden Griffins will host the Iona Gaels tomorrow at 9:30 AM and honor the 2 Seniors, Jessica Jones and Sophie Chelini, and Molloy for Senior Day.

September 29th, 2023

Ice Hockey Season Preview: Golden Griffins Prepare to Defend Conference Title

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins ice hockey team is getting ready to begin the 2023-2024 season with hopes of returning to the AHA Conference Championship game on March 23rd and defending their conference title. As we near the beginning of October and the Golden Griffins’ 1st game of the season on October 13th, they get ready to take the ice behind Head Coach Trevor Large and Senior captain Max Kouznetsov.

The season began as soon as the players returned or came to campus as the newbies got to establish who they are within the program.

“The 1st year in the program is making sure that guys are welcomed and valued,” said Coach Large earlier this afternoon. “We’re also trying to make sure that they’re doing well as they arrive at Canisius and become a part of the community and campus which hockey is a piece of that.”

The next step for the newbies is to have them learn what kind of culture that the program has been built on and to immerse them in that culture.

“Being around the team and starting to form those relationships [between older and younger guys] as well as relatively quickly get into the hockey piece where we will establish how we play and what that looks like,” said Coach Large. “Those are the main things we’ve done this season in terms of getting everyone prepared outside of the rink.”

With a new captain named a week ago, Kouznetsov, the team is strong on leadership as not just Kouznetsov is a leader; others step into leadership positions when they have to.

“Max Kouznetsov will be leaned on a lot because he has sharp leadership skills, a great personality, and he’s a good player,” said Coach Large. “There’s lots of guys that have been on their leadership path through the program, meaning he [Kouznetsov] will have a lot of help.”

The team also has been getting a lot of very positive attention from 3 of their graduates that are currently playing in the preseason of NHL teams. Cory Conacher, in his 13th professional season, is currently with the Carolina Hurricanes after graduating from Canisius College in 2010. Conacher has played 192 NHL games prior to this season and has played for 5 NHL teams over the 13 seasons. 

Keaton Mastrodonato attended the training camp of the Dallas Stars. He graduated from Canisius College last year and was a big part of last year’s championship run for the Golden Griffins. Ryan Schmelzer has been the captain of the Utica Devils for the last 2 seasons and attended the New Jersey Devils training camp. He graduated from Canisius College in 2018. All 3 were great players and the attention is great for the program, Coach Large explained.

“We’re very proud of them,” said Coach Large. “I think what speaks to the program is that it continues to grow, and that we are developing really good hockey players.”

The Golden Griffins are almost at the beginning of the season as they start on the road at the Miami (OH) RedHawks on October 13th and 14th and will host their 1st home game on November 3rd against the Holy Cross Crusaders.

September 28th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Tie Dolphins 2-2 to Finish Non-Conference Schedule

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team took the field yesterday afternoon as they faced off against the Le Moyne Dolphins in their final non-conference game of the season. The game was a close one as neither team dominated the other throughout the game. After 90 minutes of back-and-forth soccer, the Golden Griffins and Dolphins tied 2-2.

The game got off to a fast start from both teams as the Golden Griffins struck 1st with a goal from Sophomore midfielder Daniel Longo, scoring his 2nd of the season off of a penalty kick at the 8:20 mark of the game. However, the 1-goal lead didn’t last long as the Dolphins quickly created a scoring chance that would end up in the back of the net to tie the game at 1. 

Only 12 minutes into the game, both teams had scored, and it seemed like the offenses would control the game. However, the defense from both teams started to play very well as neither team could get past the back lines. The Golden Griffins created a great chance in the 26th minute which led to a goal from Sophomore midfielder Michael Switala, scoring his 4th goal of the season. This goal had a brilliant setup from Junior forward Dylan Rice, awarded with the assist, who had an excellent game causing havoc to the Dolphins defense throughout the game.

The Golden Griffins couldn’t add to the 2-1 lead that they had built before halftime, and they went into the half with a lot of confidence. Head Coach Michael Tanke didn’t want to play defensively in the 2nd half and wanted to keep up the offensive pressure to try to put away the Dolphins.

The 2nd half started much slower than the 1st half as both teams couldn’t create the same chances that they were able to create in the 1st half. Halftime adjustments fixed that for both teams, but the Dolphins had more control of the game, early in the 2nd half. It took them a little while, but the Dolphins found the back of the net to tie the game at 2 with just under 25 minutes to play in the game.

As the game continued, the Golden Griffins started to play with urgency which helped them to create scoring chances. Behind their defense and Graduate Student Spencer Catalano, who made a couple great saves throughout the game, the Golden Griffins created some great scoring chances, but the Dolphins defense held strong to end the game in a 2-2 tie.

After the game, Rice and the team were pleased with the performance, but knew that they could have won the game if they had played the way they did in the 1st half for the full 90 minutes.

“Overall, we had moments of good play and periods where they couldn’t touch us because we were outplaying them, but we have to do that for 90 minutes in order to win games,” said Rice. “There were a lot of positives to takeaway from today's game. I think the major thing we’ve improved upon was our creativity in the final third, and this will definitely help us in MAAC play because, at the end of the day, goals win games.”

The Golden Griffins are on the road on Saturday as they head to New Rochelle, New York to face the Iona Gaels at 1 PM.

Stats for the game

The Dolphins recorded 16 shots (5 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 12 shots (4 on goal).

Catalano recorded 3 saves while the Dolphins Freshman goalkeeper recorded 2 saves.

The Dolphins had 8 corners while the Golden Griffins had 3 corners.

The Dolphins got called for 12 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 9 fouls.

September 26th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Shutout on Road against Bobcats

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team traveled to Hamden, Connecticut to face off against the Quinnipiac Bobcats this past Saturday and battled against a good MAAC opponent. After 90 minutes of a good fight, the Golden Griffins fell 2-0 to the Bobcats.

When a team doesn’t have a shot attempt during an entire 45 minutes, their opponent is absolutely dominating that team. The Golden Griffins were on their defensive side of the field for nearly all of that 45 minutes as they had no shot attempts during the 1st half. The Bobcats had 11 which only 1 went on goal and was turned aside by Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer. The Golden Griffins even had a corner, but no shot attempt was made as it was cleared by the Bobcat defense.

The 2nd half started once again with a couple of great scoring chances for the Bobcats, and it led to them beating Spencer to take a 1-0 lead. The game continued with the Bobcats still dominating possession, but the Golden Griffins were able to make 2 shot attempts with 1 coming from Sophomore midfielder Skylar Cornell. At the 81:07 mark of the game, the Bobcats found the back of the net to take a 2-0 lead and put away the game for a victory for the Bobcats. After 90 minutes, the Golden Griffins had 2 shot attempts with Spencer making 3 saves of 5 shots on goal.

It was a tough loss to swallow for the Golden Griffins as they were outplayed by the Bobcats in every way. Junior defender Sophia Konstantinou explained, after the game, that practice this week was going to be focused on preparing for the next game, not looking back at the previous loss.

“Despite the loss against Quinnipiac, we’ve started this week of practices with lots of focus, effort, and energy,” said Konstantinou. “The result of the game hasn’t dampened our spirits; it’s made us more resilient. Our upcoming home game is another opportunity to showcase our talent while honoring our incredible Seniors.”

The Golden Griffins drop to 4-2-4 (1-1-1) on the season and will return home to host the Iona Gaels for Senior Day on Saturday at 1 PM.

Stats for the game

The Bobcats recorded 21 shots (5 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 2 shots (1 on goal).

Spencer recorded 3 saves while the Bobcats Seniors goalkeeper recorded 1 save.

The Bobcats had 2 corners while the Golden Griffins had 1 corner.

The Bobcats got called for 14 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 14 fouls.

September 25th, 2023

Volleyball: Gaels Complete Comeback, Golden Griffins Look Forward

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins volleyball team returned to the court this past Sunday after sweeping the Manhattan Jaspers 3-0 on Saturday. They took the court to face the Iona Gaels for the 1st time this season. The Gaels came into the match with a 6-8 record overall, 2-1 in the MAAC. After a long, exhausting match filled with neither team dominating the other, the Gaels defeated the Golden Griffins 3-2 after coming back from being down 2-0.

The match started as a back-and-forth battle as neither the Golden Griffins nor the Gaels could get any momentum going as the game was tied 10-10 early on. The Gaels started to pull away with a 16-11 lead, but the Golden Griffins would not back down as they came back, scoring 6 consecutive points to take a 17-16 lead before the Gaels called their 1st timeout. Out of the timeout, the Golden Griffins continued to build momentum and kept scoring points. Even though Head Coach Tom Hanna took a yellow card because the official wasn’t calling a certain rule that he wanted them to call, the Golden Griffins pressed on and won the 1st set 25-21.

Junior outside hitter Kara Zaucha was very helpful in the Golden Griffins 1st set win with 6 kills while Freshman outside hitter Cameron Grange totaled 4 aces which also was a big part of the comeback for the Golden Griffins.

The 2nd set started like the 1st set which was back-and-forth play. It wouldn’t be easy for either team to win the 2nd set, but the Gaels started to take control of the set as they took a 15-11 lead into the media timeout. However, the Golden Griffins didn’t take long to create a comeback led by Freshman outside hitter Lauren Hubert who totaled 8 kills as the Gaels took a timeout with the Golden Griffins leading 18-17. Zaucha also continued to dominate the outside, earning more kills as the set went on. As the set neared the end, with the score very close, the Golden Griffins pulled off the victory of the set by a score of 25-20, leading the match 2-0. Zaucha was pleased with how well the first 2 sets went, but knew that, in the 3rd set, they would need to keep the energy up and not sit back on the 2-0 lead.

“I think our energy was super good throughout the first 2 sets, and I think, in the 3rd set, it kind of started to plateau a little bit,” said Zaucha after the match. “In the 3rd set, you haven’t won anything yet, you’re up 2-0, but you haven’t won anything yet, and that’s when we need to really emphasize more energy rather than what we’ve been doing is enough.”

The Gaels got off to a great start in the 3rd set with a 8-5 lead, but the Golden Griffins wouldn’t let them run away with the set as the Golden Griffins made a comeback once again to take a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. The Gaels would hold on to win the 3rd set, 25-23 in another very close set.

With a 2-1 lead in the match, the Golden Griffins really wanted to win the 4th set to defeat the Gaels. Once again, neither team took control of the set as the first 10 points were split evenly to a 5-5 tie. The Golden Griffins tried to find their playmakers to help them take a lead, and after the score continued to be back-and-forth all the way to the media timeout, the Gaels led 15-13. The Gaels would not let up the lead at any point, and they won the 4th set to tie the match at 2.

As the match entered the 5th and final set, both teams were trying to find the final push of energy to push them to a victory. The Golden Griffins were trying not to blow a 2-0 lead completely while the Gaels tried to make a comeback to win the match.

The set started with the Gaels dominating every play. The Golden Griffins were struggling to do their game plan as the Gaels seemed to be finding any and every hole in the Golden Griffins defense. The Golden Griffins took a timeout after going down 4-1, but the Gaels continued to score points as time was running out for the Golden Griffins. The Gaels won the 5th set 15-10, winning the match 3-2.

Zaucha and the team were disappointed with the loss, but wanted to look at what areas they did well in as well as looking at what to improve on during practice this week.

“It adds fuel to our fire,” said Zaucha. “It definitely gives us a reason to put in a really good 4 days of practice; really lock in on the things that we can improve on today, but also take time to recognize that there were good things that happened on the court today. I think those are good things that if we carry into next weekend, we can be successful.”

The Golden Griffins, now with a 3-9 (1-3) record, will host the Niagara Purple Eagles in the Battle of the Bridge on Saturday at 12 PM.

Stats for the match

Golden Griffins- 83 points, 60 kills, 12 aces, 11 blocks, 59 assists, and 107 digs.

Gaels- 79 points, 61 kills, 4 aces, 14 blocks, 58 assists, and 109 digs.

September 25th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Tie Bobcats 3-3 in Thrilling Game

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team has been struggling and haven’t been able to find their rhythm yet this season. After losing their 1st MAAC game last week, the Golden Griffins were ready to bounce back on their home turf against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. This was the Bobcats 1st conference game of the season, so the Golden Griffins could really use this to help them later in the season, but the Bobcats weren’t an easy foe to defeat as after 90 minutes, the Bobcats and Golden Griffins tied 3-3 after a very thrilling game.

The Bobcats got off to a running start as, only 9 minutes into the game, they found the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead. 10 minutes later, the Bobcats once again scored, making it a 2-0 lead in favor of the Bobcats. 

Golden Griffins Head Coach Michael Tanke told his players to calm down and not to panic because there were still 70 minutes left in the game. 6 minutes after the 2nd Bobcat goal was scored, Golden Griffins Sophomore midfielder Tarek El-Zammar found the back of the net to shorten the Bobcats lead down to 2-1. The assists went to Sophomore midfielder Michael Switala and Freshman forward Mason Petrucci, and it was El-Zammar’s 1st goal of the season.

This would be the score heading into halftime, but the last 10 minutes of the 1st half weren’t going to not have some pushing and shoving as both a Bobcats player and Petrucci would get a yellow card for a little scuffle at the 35:46 mark of the half.

Coming out of halftime, the Golden Griffins built energy right away. This led to Junior midfielder Kodie Sarkodie scoring his 1st goal of the season to tie the game at 2. Petrucci got another assist on this goal, and the crowd was ecstatic to see their Golden Griffins tie the game after going down 2-0 early.

However, at the 55th minute of the game, the Bobcats struck back to take a 3-2 lead, but the Golden Griffins weren’t going to let them walk away with the win. The next 25 minutes of the game were intense as both teams tried to give their team an advantage. The Bobcats had multiple opportunities to put the game away, but either the shot attempts went wide or Junior goalkeeper Jack Petrie would make saves that kept the Golden Griffins in the game.

At the 80th minute, Sophomore midfielder Kyle Pollard found himself on a partial break after a great thru-ball was sent over to him by Freshman forward Matthew Fischer. Pollard shot and scored to tie the game at 3 with just under 10 minutes to play in the game. This was an exciting moment for Pollard, and he was happy that he could help his team in a big way.

“It was nice because I’ve had so many chances in the past, but especially in a big game like this,” said Pollard after the game. “We deserved it; everyone worked hard, and I’m glad I was the one to finish it off.”

The last 10 minutes was all Golden Griffins as they had 2 corners in the final minute which were turned away by the Bobcats defense, ending the game in a 3-3 tie. It was a good game for the Golden Griffins, and it was a step in the right direction for them. Pollard was pleased with the tie because the Bobcats were a good test of how they can turn their season around as they begin diving into the conference.

“We’re having trouble conceding goals and scoring the 1st one,” said Pollard. “It’s a good start to the season, [in conference play], after Manhattan because we tied the MAAC champions from last year.”

The Golden Griffins, now with a 1-6-2 (0-1-1) record, will host the Le Moyne Dolphins in their final non-conference game on Wednesday at 4 PM.

Stats for the game

The Bobcats recorded 16 shots (5 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 8 shots (4 on goal).

Petrie recorded 2 saves while the Bobcats Sophomore goalkeeper recorded 1 save.

The Bobcats had 9 corners while the Golden Griffins had 4 corners.

The Bobcats got called for 10 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 14 fouls.

September 23rd, 2023

Volleyball Dominates Jaspers 3-0 to Win 1st Conference Match

Written by: Andrew Nowel

On a Saturday afternoon in late September, the Canisius Golden Griffins volleyball team returned home to host the Manhattan Jaspers after a very tough stretch of road matches. Already starting 0-2 in the MAAC, the Golden Griffins didn’t want to drop another conference match. After only 3 sets, the Golden Griffins took down the Jaspers 3-0 behind the offensive attack of Freshman outside hitter Lauren Hubert and the entire team’s communication throughout the match.

The 1st set was completely dominated by the Golden Griffins as they took a 1-0 lead in the match. Winning 25-15, the Golden Griffins were led by Hubert who had 4 kills and 1 block. After taking a 10-5 lead early in the set, the Golden Griffins pulled away, having a 12-point lead at one point. This was just the beginning of an excellent match.

The Jaspers came out in the 2nd set with a very different mindset and energy. This helped them jump out to a 9-6 lead early in the set. They were making less mistakes and creating more high scoring chances. However, the Golden Griffins weren’t going to go down easily, and they worked their way back to a 13-13 score through Hubert’s kills and some great blocking from Freshman middle blocker Kalia Reisma who had a total of 4 blocks halfway through the 2nd set. In the end, the Golden Griffins won the 2nd set by a score of 25-22, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.

With the lead now 2-0, the Golden Griffins attempted to put away the Jaspers. During the first 2 sets, Hubert earned 7 kills which helped the Golden Griffins in many situations. She was very pleased with how the Golden Griffins were playing and wanted to see them continue that as they tried to finish off the Jaspers.

“It’s definitely been a rough stretch, but, today, we really pulled through as a team, together, and worked hard to get this win,” said Hubert after the match.

The 3rd set was all Golden Griffins as the Jaspers couldn’t do anything. The Golden Griffins won 25-13, winning the match 3-0 which continued a 5-year streak, going back to 2018, where the Golden Griffins have defeated the Jaspers 3-0 in every single match since then. It was a great boost for a team that was struggling.

“Conference play is a big deal, and it’s the 3rd game of conference play [this season], so we really needed this win which we did,” said Hubert. “We did good; we all did our part, coming through and taking the win.”

Head Coach Tom Hanna was very pleased with the performance and was happy to see the team bounce back, doing the game plan that they have practiced from Day 1.

“It was a great performance; we did a great job with our serving, and just an overall great performance,” said Coach Hanna after the match. “We have to be a little bit cleaner [in preparation for tomorrow’s match]; they had 15 unearned points in the first 2 sets, so, tomorrow, they are going to have to earn the points.”

The Golden Griffins improve to 3-8 on the season, 1-2 in the MAAC, and will host the Iona Gaels tomorrow at 12 PM, and the game will be the 2023 Dig Pink Game for the Golden Griffins.

Stats for the match

Golden Griffins- 59 points, 41 kills, 9 aces, 9 blocks, 38 assists, and 55 digs.

Jaspers- 32 points, 23 kills, 3 aces, 6 blocks, 20 assists, and 44 digs.

September 22nd, 2023

Swimming and Diving Prep for 2023-2024 Season with 20 New Faces

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins swimming and diving team is about to jump into their 2023-2024 season, and they have been working hard over the last couple of weeks to prepare. On October 13th, the Golden Griffins will face the Marist Red Foxes on the road to kick off their season. However, with that date fast approaching, the Golden Griffins aren’t done with practicing and getting ready for the season as they push on with their training.

Heading into the season, the Golden Griffins are a young team which creates unknowns, explained Head Coach Scott Vanderzell.

“We have a very young team, so a lot of unknowns right now, so we’re really looking to see just how  they race, and how they compete,” said Coach Vanderzell at practice Wednesday. “I’m really excited to get this season underway.”

The experience that the upperclassmen bring to every day of being part of the team is going to be very important to how the season goes with the team being as young as it is.

“The upperclassmen, Juniors, Seniors, and a couple 5th years, have experience that will help the Sophomores and Freshman, who are inexperienced, to become experienced and feel more confident in their races,” said Coach Vanderzell. “We’ve been beginning to improve in the MAAC each year, the last couple of years, so we want to continue that, and we hope that the underclassmen bond with the upperclassmen quickly, so that as they all start to walk away, they walk away with pride, growth, and the accomplishments of the team.”

Senior captain Jordan O’Connor is very excited to see what this year’s team can do as they have a lot of new faces on the team.

“This year we got over 20 new Freshman, so I think we have a great group of people coming in with a lot of new talent and potential, so I think that’s going to help us get that boost that we want,” said O’Connor at practice Wednesday.

The Golden Griffins are ready to kick off their season as they keep training as the October 13th meet keeps getting closer. With the new additions to the team, the Golden Griffins feel stronger than ever and look to build on successful seasons in previous years.

September 21st, 2023

Men’s Soccer Struggles Again, Fall 4-0 on Road against Bonnies

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team was back on the field tonight as they took on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on the road in Olean, New York. After struggling and losing 3 straight games and without scoring for 11 days, the Golden Griffins were hoping that this game was going to jumpstart their offense and the entire team going forward. However, the Bonnies offense had other plans as they defeated the Golden Griffins 4-0.

The 1st half started with the Bonnies having control of the possession and multiple chances that were stopped by Graduate Student goalkeeper Spencer Catalano. However, the Bonnies finally capitalized on the multitude of chances at the 36th minute to take a 1-0 lead in the game. The rest of the half went uneventful as the Bonnies took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Even though Catalano and the defense let in a goal during the 1st half, Senior defender Riley Wagner along with his fellow defenders did a good job of keeping the Bonnies from scoring more goals with the 12 shot attempts that they had.

The 2nd half started similarly to the 1st half as the Bonnies created scoring chances left and right. At the 51:43 mark of the game, the Bonnies found the back of the net once again to take a 2-0 lead. It wouldn’t end there as the Bonnies added 2 more goals before the game was over. 

The Golden Griffins did much better to create chances themselves, but even though the Bonnies had less shots, they scored more goals than the 1st half. After 90 minutes of frustrating soccer for the Golden Griffins, they lost 4-0 to the Bonnies. Wagner and the team were disappointed, but knew that pointing fingers wasn’t going to solve any of their problems.

“It’s easy to look at the offense and point fingers,” said Wagner after the game. “Of course we want to score more and concede less, but there’s not just 1 solution that’ll fix everything we need to improve on. I believe it starts with us not losing focus and perfecting the way we play. I know there’s a lot more potential in the team that can be unlocked, and it starts with our mindset. We’re not changing the way we play; everyone knows that. Once we get that down, I think we can start getting some results our way.”

The Golden Griffins will return home and host the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Saturday at 1 PM in their 2nd MAAC game of the season.

Stats for the game

The Bonnies recorded 20 shots (7 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 9 shots (5 on goal).

Catalano recorded 3 saves while the Bonnies Senior goalkeeper recorded 5 saves.

The Bonnies had 8 corners while the Golden Griffins had 3 corners.

The Bonnies got called for 5 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 8 fouls.

September 21st, 2023

Cross Country Dominates Jasper Invitational, Men Place 2nd While Women Place 5th

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins cross country team had an excellent meet on Saturday as they raced in the Jasper Fall Invitational which took place in Montgomery, New York. Leading the way for the men’s team was Senior Tom Appenheimer who finished 1st in the men’s 8k by setting a course record of 24:33.6, helping to give the Golden Griffins men a 2nd place finish while the women’s team was led by Graduate Student Olivia Moran and Junior Kayla Schmidt who both recorded incredible PR’s to help the Golden Griffins women place 5th in the 6k.

The meet got off to a start at 10 AM this past Saturday with the women’s 6k. Both Moran and Schmidt got off to great starts and this helped them be able to pace themselves to end up where they did. Moran and Schmidt both hadn’t got a sub-22 in their collegiate careers, but as they both rounded the last turn, Moran and Schmidt realized that they were going to crush a sub-22. Moran crossed the finish line with an exceptional time of 21:08.8, beating her own time by more than a minute. Schmidt wasn’t far behind with a 21:40.1 which also beat her own time by more than 30 seconds. Both girls were extremely proud of their times and were also a little surprised of how well they truly did.

“I got out in a good position, around top 10, so right around where I finished,” said Schmidt after the race. “I was very happy with how I ran because I felt really confident during the race. I’ve never broken 22, so I was smiling down the home stretch and just so happy when I saw the time at 21 as I came down the home stretch.”

Moran ended up placing 5th while Schmidt placed 10th. Senior Jules Jones came in 22nd with a 22:13.0 and Sophomore Jacqueline Appenheimer came in 29th with a 22:33.4. Finishing off the meet for the women, 5th Year Marissa Silba came in 42nd with a 23:05.4. The Golden Griffins scored a total of 108 points, finishing in 5th place as a team and coming up just shy of both the Siena Bernards, who scored 106 points, and the Rider Broncs, who scored 105 points. It was very good for this to happen as it showed that the Golden Griffins could compete this season against some of the strong MAAC teams that they will see in the MAAC Championships later on in the season.

“Our big goal for the meet as a whole was to run as a team, that was our goal,” said Schmidt. “We wanted to show some of the conference what we could do. Coming from 6th and even 7th in the past at MAAC Championships, it’s huge for us to come in 5th amongst Quinnipiac, Rider, and Sienna and being so close to where we were to them, just emphasizes our hard work.”

The men’s team placed 2nd and had an excellent meet. Appenheimer finished 1st in the 8k with a time of 24:33.6, beating the Broncs racer by just under 2 seconds. Appenheimer after the race was very happy with his performance, but knew the work toward doing well at the MAAC Championships wasn’t done.

“I’m very happy with getting the win, but there’s a lot I need to improve before the conference championships,” said Appenheimer after the race. “I’m confident that if I continue to look at each performance with a critical lens, as well as putting trust in my coaches and teammates, then I’ll be ready when the time comes.”

Senior Ronan McDonald finished 7th with a 25:17.3 with Sophomore Kyle Urban not coming in too much behind McDonald at 13th with a 25:33.9. Senior Max Chew finished 15th with a 25:37.1 while Graduate Student Andrew Perreault finished 29th with a 26:05.2. The Golden Griffins totaled 65 points which was very impressive. Appenheimer and the team were really happy to race well on a very tough course.

“It’s a huge confidence booster for us,” said Appenheimer. “It is good to know that we are already in such great shape this early in the season, and that we’re only going to improve from here. As long as we continue to train diligently and recover after each session, we’ll be in a great place moving forward.”

The Golden Griffins will return to the cross country course on September 30th when they travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where they will race in the Paul Short Invitational.

September 20th, 2023

Volleyball Falls 3-0 to Bobcats, Lose 7th Straight

Written by: Andrew Nowel

A day after the Canisius Golden Griffins volleyball team lost to the Fairfield Stags, they were back on the court as they faced off against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on the road. The Golden Griffins struggled once again to play their game as the Bobcats won the match 3-0.

Just like the previous day, the Bobcats controlled the 1st set, winning 25-17, to open a 1-0 lead in the match. It’s always tough when playing back-to-back days, but Golden Griffins Head Coach Tom Hanna knew the team didn’t bring the energy he knew they had in them to start the match, telling the Golden Griffins to find that energy during the break between sets.

The Bobcats didn’t let up as they defeated the Golden Griffins 25-18 in the 2nd set, taking a 2-0 lead in the match. The Golden Griffins once again struggled to score on aces as they scored 0 points on aces throughout the match. This was not helpful because the Golden Griffins were not able to gain momentum that scoring aces brings to their team when they have scored on aces in the past.

The 3rd set still wasn’t how the Golden Griffins wanted to play, and the Bobcats defeated the Golden Griffins 25-18 to win the match, 3-0. The Golden Griffins were held to 3 blocks during the match which also didn't allow the Golden Griffins to score points. Freshman outside hitter Cameron Grange led the Golden Griffins with 10 kills, an area that they didn’t struggle in during the match. 

After the match, Grange and the Golden Griffins weren’t happy with how the weekend went, but knew returning home will help them get back on track with practice and just being back home.

“Being back home in our gym will help us to reset for our upcoming games and give us an opportunity to grow and learn from our losses,” said Grange. “We’re coming in with a positive mindset and ready to bounce back!”

The Golden Griffins will host the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday at 12 PM and then the Iona Gaels on Sunday at 12 PM.

Stats for the match

Golden Griffins- 37 points, 34 kills, 0 aces, 3 blocks, 32 assists, and 41 digs.

Bobcats- 50 points, 35 kills, 8 aces, 7 blocks, 30 assists, and 38 digs.

September 19th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Struggles in 4-0 Loss to Jaspers

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team hasn’t been able to enter the win column a lot this season, and they were hoping to change that as they faced off against the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday. However, the Jaspers had other plans and took a 4-0 victory to hand the Golden Griffins their 1st MAAC loss of the season.

It didn’t take long for the Jaspers to get off to a strong start as they scored at the 19:04 mark of the 1st half to take a 1-0 lead. That wouldn’t be the only goal in the 1st half as the Jaspers continued to create scoring chances which lead to 3 more goals being scored by the Jaspers before halftime.

At the 28:17 mark of the 1st half, the Jaspers took a 2-0 lead and then, 2 minutes later, the Jaspers took a 3-0 lead. At the 42:02 mark, the Jaspers found the back of the net again to take a 4-0 lead. It seemed like the Golden Griffins couldn’t do anything right as they were outshot 17-3 in the 1st half and just outplayed in every way during the half.

During halftime, Golden Griffins Head Coach Michael Tanke told his players to forget the 1st half and play their game in the 2nd half. The Golden Griffins did just that, and even though they weren't able to score, the Golden Griffins played a much better half. After 90 minutes, the Golden Griffins fell 4-0 to the Jaspers to begin conference play with a 0-1-0 record. The Golden Griffins also dropped to 1-5-1 on the season, but they knew that if they fixed their mistakes in practice, they would be able to rebound their season.

“It’s never easy going away from home and getting everything right on the football pitch,” said Graduate Student Inder Thind after the game. “We have a very young squad, and they have all got a taste of what MAAC play is like. We fixed up our mistakes at halftime and had many positives we can build upon. It’s just back to the training ground and correcting everything that went wrong. This is a time where the whole team needs to stick together and just focus on the games ahead. Our goals for the rest of the season don’t change.”

The Golden Griffins will travel to Olean, New York tomorrow to face the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies at 7 PM.

Stats for the game

The Jaspers recorded 25 shots (12 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 6 shots (5 on goal).

Junior goalkeeper Jack Petrie recorded 8 saves while the Jaspers Senior goalkeeper recorded 5 saves.

The Jaspers had 8 corners while the Golden Griffins had 1 corner.

The Jaspers got called for 13 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 7 fouls.

September 18th, 2023

Volleyball Falls 3-0 to Stags to Begin Weekend Road Trip

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins volleyball team began MAAC yesterday as they faced the Fairfield Stags in Fairfield, Connecticut. Coming off a rough stretch of 5 consecutive losses, the Golden Griffins wanted to start MAAC play with a win to rebound their season from spiraling out of control. It wasn’t easy for the Stags, but they tired out the Golden Griffins and took home a 3-0 victory to hand the Golden Griffins their 1st loss in MAAC play.

The 1st set of the match was all Stags as the Golden Griffins couldn’t play the game plan they wanted to play. The Stags won the set 25-17, and the Golden Griffins had to try to adjust the game plan to be able to keep the 2nd set within their grasp.

That didn’t happen as the Golden Griffins also dropped the 2nd set, 25-9, to the Stags, and the Stags had everything going right for them. The Golden Griffins were struggling to get points on serves when they had them as only 3 aces were scored by the Golden Griffins throughout the entire match. This hurt the Golden Griffins because, prior to the match, serving was a very helpful part of their game plan.

The Golden Griffins entered the 3rd set with the mindset to win the set, and it showed. Anytime the Golden Griffins were down, they seemed to find a rhythm to be able to create a comeback. However, the Stags weren’t able to go to a 4th set, and they started to create the scoring chances they had created during the first 2 sets. The Stags won the 3rd set 25-23, ending the match with a 3-0 victory.

After a frustrating afternoon for the Golden Griffins, they weren’t pleased with the performance, but tried to look at the positives, so that they could better themselves for future matches such as the one they played the next day against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Stats for the match

Golden Griffins- 33 points, 27 kills, 3 aces, 3 blocks, 26 assists, and 36 digs.

Stags- 50 points, 37 kills, 6 aces, 7 blocks, 31 assists, and 41 digs.

September 17th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Ties Jaspers 2-2 Behind 2 1st Collegiate Goals

Written by: Andrew Nowel

Early yesterday afternoon, the Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team returned home to host the Manhattan Jaspers as their 1st conference home game of the season. After 90 minutes of excitement and 4 total goals being scored, the Golden Griffins and the Jaspers tied 2-2, but not without extra excitement from Golden Griffins Sophomore defender Meghan Heath and Freshman forward Elizabeth Cavanaugh as they both scored their 1st collegiate goal.

The Golden Griffins came out strong with a couple of chances that went wide right or wide left early on, but the Jaspers had a couple of high-scoring chances that were stopped by Golden Griffins Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer. 

Fouls were being called more than usual throughout the game, but the Golden Griffins utilized this when Freshman midfielder Jessica Whitaker took a free kick that would end up in the back of the net. Heath, coming all the way from her center back position, scored the goal. It was her 1st collegiate goal, and she, along with her teammates, were ecstatic for her to score and for the team to now lead 1-0.

“It was unreal to score my 1st collegiate goal,” said Heath after the game. “I feel like, as a team, we run so many reps in practice on free kicks, it was just so rewarding for Jess and I to finally connect on one and get the perfect outcome.”

The lead wouldn’t hold for long as the Jaspers came back and scored 12 minutes later to tie the game at 1. However, the Golden Griffins weren’t done yet, and they were going to take the lead behind yet another 1st collegiate goal.

At the 41:03 mark of the 1st half, Cavanaugh found the back of the net with the assist going to Junior defender Sophia Konstantinou. Cavanaugh and her teammates were also ecstatic for Cavanaugh’s 1st collegiate goal as well as taking a 2-1 lead into halftime.

The 2nd half started like the 1st half with the Golden Griffins creating chances, but not being able to capitalize on them while the Jaspers continued to find shots that went on net, but were stopped by Spencer.

That was until the 64:10 mark of the game when the Jaspers were awarded a penalty kick which they capitalized on to tie the game at 2. This gave both teams a sense of urgency as they played the final 25 minutes. At the end of those minutes, however, no one had scored, ending the game in a 2-2 tie.

With the excitement of the goals worn off by the end of the game, and the result being a tie, the Golden Griffins weren’t upset to tie the Jaspers, but they knew that it could’ve been a win and that they will learn from their mistakes going forward.

“I think, as a team, we did a good job of maintaining energy, but it's still an area that we can improve on,” said Heath. “With that being said, I think we need to cut out the mistakes early, so we don’t have to constantly fight. Put teams away early and keep our lead throughout the game.”

The Golden Griffins move their record to 4-1-4 on the season and will travel to Quinnipiac University to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Saturday at 12 PM.

Stats for the game

The Golden Griffins recorded 17 shots (5 on goal) while the Jaspers recorded 12 shots (10 on goal).

Spencer recorded 8 saves while the Jaspers Freshman goalkeeper recorded 3 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 10 corners while the Jaspers had 1 corner.

The Golden Griffins got called for 15 fouls while the Jaspers got called for 11 fouls.

September 15th, 2023

Softball: How the Fall Season Leads to Success in Spring

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins softball team is already working hard as they look ahead to the 2024 season this upcoming spring. Through team bonding exercises and dedication to hard work, the Golden Griffins already have the brief fall season coming up with the 2023 Alumni Game on Sunday fastly approaching and are ready for any challenge they will face this year.

The fall season is a great way for the coaches to get to know the new players on the team as well as give everyone an opportunity to start working toward a common goal of having the best season they can possibly have.

“The fall season for us as coaches is all about getting to know our 1st years and what they're capable of,” said Head Coach Kim Griffin. “It’s also a big opportunity for them to get to know the team and for the team to get to know them, not just on the field, but also off the field. When we’re on the field, we’re looking for where we think they fit, offensively and defensively; what are their strengths; what are the things that they’re going to bring right away as Freshman and what are the things that we need to develop in the offseason to get them ready to be a productive contributor to the team.”

There are a lot of fun things that the team does as bonding to get to know each other during the fall season. This is done by events organized around having the younger players sit down with the older players to have each learn something from each other to help build the culture of each year's team.

“I think the stuff we do off the field is as important as the stuff we do on the field,” said Coach Griffin. “One of the big things we do annually is a team retreat. The 1st week of school we call our Gritt Week, and we do early morning, hard workouts at Delaware Park, in the pool, or pushing sleds out on the turf, so we’re pushing them really hard, physically, that 1st week, and then we take the long weekend and go on a retreat. There’s a ton of team-building activities; we cook all of our meals together, and everyone is just immersed in the culture of the Canisius softball team.”

This season should be no different as the Golden Griffins continue their dominance in the MAAC conference. After hosting the MAAC Championship game the last couple of years, the Golden Griffins are ready to continue the tradition and pass it along to the younger members of the team in the coming seasons.

“The standard that the upperclassmen have set for themselves is we play in the championship game, we host the championship game, and we win the championship game,” said Coach Griffin. “That’s the culture that they have worked to create in their time here, so that level of experience and championship play is incredible; no one else in the conference has that.”

With the 2023 Fall season 2 days away from starting with the 2023 Alumni Game on Sunday at 11 AM, the Golden Griffins are ready to show the MAAC that they are the champions once again, and they are ready to show the entire NCAA what they are made of.

September 14th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Finishes Non-Conference Play with 2-0 Victory

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team was on a roll, and they continued to dominate their opponents as they faced off against their final non-conference opponent of the 2023 season which was the Le Moyne Dolphins yesterday. Nothing seemed to be different as the Golden Griffins shutout the Dolphins 2-0 behind Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer’s outstanding performance, and Junior forward Madeline Weltin’s 1st goal of the season.

The 1st half was strongly favored by the Golden Griffins as they created scoring chances early on, but the Dolphins kept stopping the chances created by the Golden Griffins. After 30 minutes of not being able to find the back of the net, Weltin received a chance as she headed the ball into the net from a corner kick by Junior defender Erin Weir. This was Weltin’s 1st goal of the season, and it helped the Golden Griffins get out to a 1-0 lead.

After a 14-shot 1st half, the Golden Griffins were not about to slow down and came right out of halftime with a lot of energy. Only 22 seconds into the 2nd half, Golden Griffins Freshman midfielder Nicki Silverman found the back of the net with 2 assists being awarded to Sophomore midfielders Skylar Cornell and Lizzy Harkness. 

With a 2-0 lead for the Golden Griffins intact, Spencer and the defense were able to slow the game down and create more chances on the offensive side. After a 27-shot performance from the Golden Griffins offense, with 15 of those shots going on goal, the Golden Griffins finished off a 2-0 victory over the Dolphins. Spencer made 3 saves with 5 shots not going on goal and started a new shutout streak that she hopes to take into conference play and continue.

The Golden Griffins will host the Manhattan Jaspers at 1 PM on Saturday as their 2nd conference game of the season.

Stats for the game

The Golden Griffins recorded 27 shots (15 on goal) while the Dolphins  recorded 8 shots (3 on goal).

Spencer recorded 3 saves while the Dolphins Redshirt Freshman goalkeeper recorded 13 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 5 corners while the Dolphins had 2 corners.

The Golden Griffins got called for 12 fouls while the Dolphins got called for 11 fouls.

September 13th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Fall to Bearcats 2-0 as Offense is Shutdown Through 90 Minutes

Written by: Andrew Nowel

On a chilly Wednesday afternoon, the Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team took the field against the Binghamton Bearcats with the mindset of a winning team. However, the Bearcats had other plans as they would finish the game with a 2-0 victory, holding the Golden Griffins to only 1 shot on goal throughout the entire game.

The 1st half was a back-and-forth battle between the Golden Griffins and the Bearcats as they both had a couple of scoring chances early on to give their teams a lead. Golden Griffins Graduate Student goalkeeper Spencer Catalano made the start in goal for the Golden Griffins, and he was stellar. During the 1st half, there were many high scoring chances from the Bearcats that were turned away by Catalano. The defense was sloppy for the Golden Griffins, but Catalano helped calm down his defense by making a couple great saves.

The offense for the Golden Griffins had a couple chances and made 4 attempted shots, but none were on goal in the 1st half. Sophomore midfielder Glodie Mata tried to create a couple of chances throughout the game, but the team struggled to be aggressive, he remarked after the game.

“I think the team’s performance wasn’t as good compared to the couple of games we’ve played so far this season in which we created so many scoring chances and were aggressive going forward to attack,” said Mata. “I feel like we lacked that this afternoon.”

This would hurt the Golden Griffins as the 2nd half began because the Bearcats took advantage of the hesitation that the Golden Griffins offense was showing. At the 64:53 mark of the game, the Bearcats were able to take a 1-0 lead and then add to that lead only 49 seconds later. The Golden Griffins lost any momentum they had, and the Bearcats were able to pull out a 2-0 victory.

After the game, Mata and the Golden Griffins were disappointed with how the game turned out because it wasn’t the level of play that they knew they could play at.

“Going forward, I think, as a team, we should remind ourselves of how good we can be and to follow the game plans and to keep trusting our way of playing because we all know our plans can work,” said Mata. “We saw it against Central Connecticut [State] where we were down 2 goals, but kept playing our way and trusted the game plan which led us to get a result that we wanted at the end of the day.”

The Golden Griffins will travel to Riverdale, New York to face off against the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday to open MAAC play at 12 PM.

Stats for the game

The Bearcats recorded 22 shots (9 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 6 shots (1 on goal).

Catalano recorded 7 saves while the Bearcats Graduate Student goalkeeper recorded 1 save.

The Bearcats had 13 corners while the Golden Griffins had 3 corners.

The Bearcats got called for 12 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 5 fouls.

September 12th, 2023

Golf Finishes Off Cornell Fall Invitational with 9th Place Finish

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins golf team began the Cornell Fall Invitational on Sunday which was being held in Watchung, New Jersey. This invitational was only a 36-hole invitational, and the Golden Griffins all played very well on the course. Scoring a team-low 293 and placing 9th was a step in the right direction for small and young golfers.

After Sunday’s part of the invitational, Round 1, was suspended due to darkness, the Golden Griffins finished Round 1 on Monday morning and then played Round 2 later that day. Junior Ryan Edholm led the way as he placed in the top 20, tied at 19th, for the 6th time in his career. Edholm scored a total of 146 through the 2 rounds which is his best 36-hole score this season.

Junior Ben Ramold shot a 147 over the 2 rounds and was tied with 6 other golfers for 21st. Ramold shot a 72 in Round 2 to propel him to the spot at 21. Both Juniors were very happy with the performance and knew for the team to score well, it was helping their own individual performances.

Freshman Mikey Takacs was able to play very well this past weekend as well as he scored a 73 in Round 2 which was his lowest score in his young collegiate career so far. Finishing with a total score of 150, Takacs was in a 6-way tie for 40th and was very pleased with the performance.

“I was satisfied with my performance last week,” said Takacs following the invitational. “It was nice to see my scores keep getting lower as the season goes on. I am figuring things out with my swing, so hopefully I continue to get better.”

The team’s performance also helped Takacs, Edholm, and Ramold feel good about how the season has gone only 3 invitationals in.

“I feel like the team’s low round of the year was really solid,” said Takacs. “A bunch of guys put up some respectable scores. I think the team has potential to go way lower than that, and hopefully we do later on this year. The low scores are definitely motivation and proof that we can compete with the bigger schools. It just comes down to putting up scores like that 2 or 3 rounds in a row. Both tournaments so far this year, we have had a bad round, collectively, as a team, and I think if we can eliminate that, we will have a lot of success.”

The Golden Griffins will now have a couple weeks off of playing tournaments until October 1st when they travel to Apalachin, New York for the Matthews Auto Collegiate Tournament.

September 11th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Falls to Red Bears 4-2 after Comeback Falls Short

Written by: Andrew Nowel

On a chilly Saturday afternoon, the Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team returned home to face the Cornell Red Bears. It was going to be a tough game for the Golden Griffins as the Red Bears entered the game coming off a win against a ranked opponent. Though the Golden Griffins battled and tried to comeback from a 4-goal deficit, the Red Bears held on to defeat the Golden Griffins 4-2.

The Golden Griffins got off to a slow start on Saturday afternoon and the Red Bears took advantage of it. Golden Griffins Junior goalkeeper Jack Petrie was able to hold off the Red Bears for the first 20 minutes of the game, but the Red Bears eventually found the back of the net. They would take a 2-0 and then 3-0 lead before halftime gave the Golden Griffins a break from the Red Bears offensive attack.

Coming out of the half, the Red Bears continued their offensive pressure on the Golden Griffins and this led to another goal from the Red Bears. With a 4-0 lead, the Red Bears sat back and relaxed their offensive pressure.

After 60 minutes of Red Bears dominance, the Golden Griffins were able to create a couple chances that led to Sophomore defender Josh Miller scoring his 1st goal of the season. 14 minutes later, the Golden Griffins shortened the Red Bears lead down to 4-2 behind Sophomore midfielder Michael Switala’s 3rd goal of the season.

After a tough loss, the Golden Griffins were disappointed they weren’t able to play a better game, but they were happy to take away different things that were done well that can be used as they move closer to conference play.

“I think that we played well as a team today,” said Miller after the game. “It’s never going to be easy playing a ranked opponent like Cornell, but I think we did a great job of staying in the game and competing until the end. Even though we lost in the end, we can learn from adversity experienced today going down 4 and bringing back 2 goals. Being able to handle adversity will help us pick up needed points during conference play.”

The Golden Griffins will host the Binghamton Bearcats at 4 PM on Wednesday.

Stats for the game

The Red Bears recorded 20 shots (9 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 8 shots (5 on goal).

Petrie recorded 5 saves while the Red Bears Sophomore goalkeeper recorded 3 saves.

The Red Bears had 6 corners while the Golden Griffins had 4 corners.

The Red Bears got called for 15 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 12 fouls.

September 10th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Earns 1st Win in Conference Play with 3-1 Victory over Peacocks

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer returned to the field yesterday to match up against the St. Peter’s Peacocks on a Saturday afternoon matchup that would end favorably for the Golden Griffins. This was the 1st MAAC game that the Golden Griffins have played this season, and after a 3-1 victory over the Peacocks, the Golden Griffins began 1-0 in conference play while improving their overall record to 3-1-3.

It didn’t take long for the Golden Griffins to get started as at the 3:43 mark of the 1st half, Junior midfielder Emma Oliphant found the back of the net to give the Golden Griffins a 1-0 lead. It was Oliphant’s 2nd of the season, and it was unassisted.

Golden Griffin Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer entered the game with 5 consecutive shutouts which is an incredible feat. However, only 14 seconds after Oliphant gave the Golden Griffins the lead, the Peacocks answered right back to tie the game at 1. After 463:39 of shutout soccer for Spencer, the streak was broken, but she had to refocus as the game was now tied at 1.

The Golden Griffins wouldn’t take long to answer as around 10 minutes later, Oliphant found the back of the net for her 2nd goal of the game and 3rd of the season. After just under 14 minutes, the Golden Griffins led 2-1 in their 1st MAAC game of the season. The rest of the 1st half went uneventfully and with a 2-1 lead, the Golden Griffins were focused on holding the lead and even extending it if they could.

The Golden Griffins came out strong in the 2nd half, leading to another goal by the Golden Griffins at the 48:06 mark of the game. Sophomore forward Skylar Cornell found the back of the net to extend the Golden Griffins lead to 3-1. It was Cornell’s 1st goal of the season, and she was very excited to score the goal as her team finished off a 3-1 victory.

“Having my 1st goal of the season is always the best feeling, especially after the last few games I’ve had chances that are so close, and it’s great to finally put it in,” said Cornell after the game. “It was definitely something where going into the game we knew it had to be a win. We had a great mentality and even though a goal was let in early, we didn’t let up.”

With the Golden Griffins winning the game, they began conference play 1-0 and will finish their non-conference schedule on Wednesday when they travel to Syracuse, New York to face the Le Moyne Dolphins at 3 PM.

Stats for the game

The Golden Griffins recorded 21 shots (11 on goal) while the Peacocks recorded 7 shots (3 on goal).

Spencer recorded 2 saves while the Peacocks Junior goalkeeper recorded 8 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 5 corners while the Peacocks had 3 corners.

The Peacocks got called for 10 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 7 fouls.

September 9th, 2023

Volleyball Falls 3-2 After Mastodons Comeback from 2-1

Written by: Andrew Nowel

On a Saturday afternoon, the Canisius Golden Griffins volleyball team returned to the court after a tough, but well-fought loss yesterday to the Kent State Golden Flashes. This afternoon, they faced off against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons and again it was an amazing match that was filled with 5 sets of amazing volleyball from both the Mastodons and the Golden Griffins. In the end, the Mastodons closed out the match with a 3-2 victory over the Golden Griffins.

The 1st set, won by the Golden Griffins by a score of 25-20, was dominated by the Golden Griffins as they were able to win the outside with some great kills from Junior outside hitter Kara Zaucha and some great blocking from the Golden Griffins middle blockers. Freshman Kalia Reisma earned 2 blocks while Zaucha earned 2 as well.

The 2nd set was the opposite of the 1st set. The Mastodons came out strong, fueled by defensive plays that led to points for the Mastodons. The Golden Griffins made some mistakes in this set which also led to Mastodon points. The Mastodons won the set 25-20, evening the match at 1-1.

It wasn’t easy, but the Golden Griffins won the 3rd set by a score of 26-24. It was thrilling to watch this set since the Mastodons went up early, but the Golden Griffins never gave up and behind the blocking and a kill from Freshman middle blocker Anna Lynch, the Golden Griffins earned the set win to take a 2-1 lead in the match. This was Lynch’s 1st appearance for the Golden Griffins, and she was very excited and happy to be a part of the Golden Griffin volleyball family.

“It felt so great to be a contributor today, especially on a team with so much talent,” said Lynch after the match. “Our group is very supportive of each other which made my 1st experience on the court, as a Griff, notably positive.”

Down all set in the 4th set, the Golden Griffins nearly came back, but fell short by a score of 25-21. It was a tough set to swallow for the Golden Griffins because now with lost momentum, they were going into the tiebreaker set with the momentum in the Mastodons favor.

It was a thrilling 5th set to cap off a thrilling match. Back and forth they went with the score being 8-6 in favor of the Mastodons at the media timeout, and the teams switched sides. After the media timeout, the Mastodons took control of the set and the match. Though the Golden Griffins played an amazing match, the Mastodons took home the win by a 5th set score of 15-10 and a match score of 3-2.

The Golden Griffins weren’t happy with the result, but as Zaucha explained after the match, everyone contributed to today’s performance and there was a lot of good that came out of a tough loss.

“Despite losing a 5-set match, the team fought hard,” said Zaucha. “There were moments where a little more internal energy could have helped us, but I think we did a lot of good things today. For example, all 4 of our Freshman played crucial roles for us and put down some big points when we needed them to. The team being united and having each other’s backs makes me super excited to enter conference play because we will be a force to be reckoned with by keeping a sense of togetherness. It gives us something positive to carry into MAAC play.”

The Golden Griffins will travel to Fairfield, Connecticut to take on the Fairfield Stags next Saturday at 1 PM to begin their MAAC play.

Stats for the match

Golden Griffins- 78 points, 61 kills, 8 aces, 9 blocks, 55 assists, and 73 digs.

Mastodons- 83 points, 67 kills, 6 aces, 10 blocks, 62 assists, and 83 digs.

September 8th, 2023

Volleyball Falls Just Short in 5-Set Loss to Golden Flashes

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins volleyball team entered last night’s match against the Kent State Golden Flashes with hopes of defeating a very good team. The Golden Flashes had already played earlier in the day, but didn’t show signs of fatigue early on. On the verge of losing the match, in the 4th set, Sophomore setter Shannon Kehoe made 2 consecutive service aces that allowed the Golden Griffins to comeback to win the set, but they would eventually fall to the Golden Flashes in 5 sets, 3-2.

The 1st set of the match was different from how the Golden Griffins had played this season. They were ready to play, and the Golden Griffins fought to win the 1st set against a good Golden Flash team. Early in the 1st set, the Golden Flashes went up 7-4, but then the Golden Griffins answered with 6 consecutive points to take a 10-7 lead. Led by Junior outside hitter Kara Zaucha, the Golden Griffins took the 1st set by a score of 25-22.

The 2nd and 3rd sets were mostly Golden Flash dominant. Though the Golden Griffins had chances to keep it close, the Golden Flashes were able to find the weaknesses of the Golden Griffins which the Golden Griffins had been able to counter during the 1st set.  The 2nd set produced a small comeback near the end of it from the Golden Griffins, but it came up short. The Golden Flashes won 25-23 then 25-19 in those sets, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

The 4th set seemed to be over before it started. The Golden Flashes came out strong, taking a 11–7 lead early and didn’t seem to be letting up. With a sub while the score was 15-11 in favor of the Golden Flashes, Kehoe entered the match to serve. She, then, served 2 consecutive aces that even though didn’t tie the match, they gave the Golden Griffins momentum to go on and win the set. Kehoe would re-enter the match to serve the final 2 points for the Golden Griffins, who won 25-23, evening the match at 2-2.

The NCAA rules for the 5th set are slightly different than a normal set with the major rule being that a team only has to score 15 instead of 25 to win the set. The Golden Flashes came out in the 5th set with no mercy and defeated the Golden Griffins 15-6.

Though it was a tough loss, the Golden Griffins worked hard to play very well against a very good Golden Flash team. The Golden Griffins will return to the court tomorrow at 12 PM at the KAC and will face the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons with a now 2-5 record.

Stats for the match

Golden Griffins- 68 total points, 48 kills, 11 aces, 9 blocks, 43 assists, and 72 digs.

Golden Flashes- 78 total points, 57 kills, 9 aces, 12 blocks, 54 assists, and 84 digs.

September 7th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Offense Comes Alive, Defeats Bonnies 2-0 in Rivalry Game

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team took the field last night against non-conference rivals the St. Bonaventure Bonnies with hopes of winning a game on their home field. After 90 minutes of dominance coming from the Golden Griffins, a 2-0 victory would give the Golden Griffins their 1st home win of 2023.

The Golden Griffins started the game with a lot of energy. They came out with the mindset to test the Bonnies goalkeeper early. This allowed the Golden Griffins forwards to attempt shots and wear down the Bonnies goalkeeper.

The 1st half went by without a goal, but the Golden Griffins were easily the dominant team. It didn’t take long to find the back of the net coming out the half for the Golden Griffins. At the 49:46 mark of the game, Freshman midfielder Nicki Silverman scored her 1st collegiate goal to give the Golden Griffins a 1-0 lead, assisted by Junior midfielder Emma Oliphant.

The Golden Griffins didn’t ease off the gas pedal as they continued to put shots on the Bonnies goalkeeper which led to another chance by the Golden Griffins. At the 77:30 mark of the game, Oliphant found the back of the net for her 1st goal of the season. The assist for the goal went to Freshman forward Maggie Cregan.

The game would end in a 2-0 victory for the Golden Griffins as they earned their 2nd win of the season and the 1st at Demske Field this season. Oliphant and the Golden Griffins were very pleased with the performance as they outshot the Bonnies 28-3 with shots on goal being 11-2 in favor of the Golden Griffins.

“It was a huge win for our team, and everyone was so happy after the game,” said Oliphant after the game. “It was an important game to win to set us up in the right direction heading into our 1st MAAC game this weekend; now we have a lot of momentum going into [the] Saint Peter’s [game].”

The Golden Griffins will head back out on the road to begin MAAC play as they take on the Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Saturday at 12 PM with a now 2-1-3 record.

Stats for the game

The Golden Griffins recorded 28 shots (11 on goal) while the Bonnies recorded 3 shots (2 on goal).

Golden Griffins Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer recorded 2 saves while the Bonnies Junior goalkeeper recorded 9 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 4 corners while the Bonnies had 0 corners.

The Golden Griffins got called for 14 fouls while the Bonnies got called for 7 fouls.

September 6th, 2023

Canisius Volleyball: The Season Preview

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius volleyball team began their 2023 season during the past 2 weeks by playing in 2 invitationals, both on the road. Going 2-1 at the Youngstown State Invitational and 0-3 at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational, the Golden Griffins weren’t fully happy with the results, but knew that they had some great talent and the level of play was there if they could find the right style that they wanted to play.

Winning the tournament at Youngstown State was a great start for the Golden Griffins, and they were even happier with how they played, not just the result.

“I was fairly happy with the performance,” said Head Coach Tom Hanna. “Opening weekend is always dicey; you never know what someone will look like on the other side of the net. We came out of preseason with not as many things on my checklist checked off as we wanted to. That was a result of nickel and dime injuries of ‘Hey, this person can’t jump today’ or ‘This person can’t swing today’, so we just had to manage that. It limited how much we could install some things.”

The loss on the opening weekend came against the Youngstown State Penguins in the opening match of the season by a score of 3-2. The Golden Griffins bounced back behind Graduate Student Ella Louissa’s 18-kill match against the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash and then a 10-kill match against the Belmont Bruins. The Golden Griffins won 3-1 against the Red Flash on August 25th after the loss earlier that day and then 3-0 against the Bruins the next morning. During the match against the Bruins, Louissa earned her 1000th kill of her collegiate career.

Feeling good about the 2-1 start to the season, the Golden Griffins traveled to Duquesne University for a doubleheader against the Duquesne Dukes on September 1st. Losing both of those matches was a wake-up call for the Golden Griffins as the Dukes defeated them 3-1 and then 3-2, but the Golden Griffins did improve between Match 1 and Match 2.

“The scores were ones we weren’t looking for, but I like how we handled ourselves in the 2nd Duquesne match because we struggled early in that 1st Duquesne match with blocking and following our assignments which we did better in the 2nd match,” said Coach Hanna.

The 3rd match of the tournament took place on September 2nd in the morning at Robert Morris University where the Golden Griffins struggled early and fell to the Robert Morris Colonials 3-1.

“The match started without us,” said Coach Hanna. “We didn’t have the sense of urgency that we needed; found it a little later, but it became a matter of too little too late.

With 1 more tournament that the Golden Griffins will host this upcoming weekend approaching fast before MAAC play will start, they look to finish the tournament part of their schedule strong and let that lead them into conference play.

“We’re gonna be in the deep end of the pool in terms of who we are competing against, but the question is, how can we do the things we want to do at a higher level,” said Coach Hanna. “We know that there are going to be moments where she is faster, stronger, bigger, and she’s going to hit an excellent shot, but how can we answer that is how we can compete, and we want to be the best sideout team in the league.”

With the season now getting closer to conference play, the Golden Griffins are ready to take the MAAC with no mercy and are ready to compete to be the best of the best.

The Golden Griffins host the Western New York Invitational this upcoming weekend where 2 other teams will compete in it. The Kent State Golden Flashes and the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons will play each other on Friday at 12 PM and then the Golden Flashes will take on the Golden Griffins at 6 PM. On Saturday, at 12 PM, the Golden Griffins will play the Mastodons.

September 4th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Scores 4 Unanswered to Defeat Blue Devils in Labor Day Matchup

Written by: Andrew Nowel

The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team finished up their roadtrip against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils this afternoon, and it seemed like the game was in the hands of the Blue Devils until the Golden Griffins scored 4 unanswered goals to take the Labor Day victory by a score of 4-2.

The first 10 minutes of the game was all Blue Devils as they scored 2 goals in the first 7:40 of the game. With a 2-0 lead, the Blue Devils eased off with the offensive and tried to hold down the attack from the Golden Griffins. It would be successful until the 25:58 mark when Freshman midfielder AJ Zarcone scored his 1st collegiate goal to shorten the Blue Devils lead down to 1. The goal was assisted by Freshman defender Kevin Villacorta. This was a great momentum swing for the Golden Griffins, but they weren’t able to find the back of the net the rest of the 1st half. 

After allowing 2 goals early in the game, Golden Griffins Junior goalkeeper Jack Petrie became a stone wall in net. During the entire 2nd half, 6 shots were attempted toward Petrie’s goal, but none of them went into the net. 

The Golden Griffins continued the offensive pressure well into the 2nd half and this allowed them to tie the game at the 75:44 mark. Assisted by Sophomore midfielder Glodie Mata, Sophomore midfielder Michael Switala scored his 1st collegiate goal which sparked the Golden Griffins offense to come alive. 

At the 82:40 mark of the game, the Golden Griffins took the lead 3-2 with Sophomore midfielder Daniel Longo’s 2nd goal of the season, assisted by Freshman midfielder Alberto Reyes. Just a minute later, Switala found the back of the net again to give the Golden Griffins a 4-2 lead with just over 6 minutes left to play in the game. The goal was assisted by Junior forward Ely Sidibe. Switala and the Golden Griffins were very happy to get these goals as it pushed them over the hump to earn their 1st win of the season.

“It felt great to help the team out in such a way,” said Switala after the game. “Having scored these goals pushed our team over the deficit and get our 1st win of the season. I’d say there’s no better feeling than that. The next step is to focus on getting a result this weekend.”

Switala and the Golden Griffins felt synced after the tying goal was scored to be able to score 2 more goals before the end of the game.

“Everything felt like it went into place once that tying goal went in,” said Switala. “Most of, if not our whole team, had the same consensus that we could go get another [goal] and win this game.”

The Golden Griffins will return home, with a now 1-2-1 record, to host the Cornell Red Bears on Saturday at 1 PM.

Stats for the game

The Golden Griffins recorded 16 shots (10 on goal) while the Blue Devils recorded 12 shots (5 on goal).

Petrie recorded 3 saves while the Blue Devils Sophomore goalkeeper recorded 6 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 4 corners while the Blue Devils had 2 corners.

The Golden Griffins got called for 11 fouls while the Blue Devils got called for 5 fouls.

September 3rd, 2023

Canisius Cross Country Wins the Little Three Championship Once Again Behind Moran’s PR

Written by: Andrew Nowel

Entering the 2023 Cross Country season, the Canisius Golden Griffins were confident that they would start out strong at the Little Three Championship, facing off against local schools in Niagara University and St. Bonaventure University. The highlight of the meet would come when the women’s 5K was run where Grad Student Olivia Moran accomplished a PR with a time of 17:51.0, leading the way to victory for the Golden Griffins.

The late afternoon started out with the men’s 5K where Grad Student Tom Appenheimer would finish 3rd with a time of 15:09.2 earning the Golden Griffins 3 points, but in cross country, the higher the points; the less chance to win the meet.

Though Appenheimer didn’t finish 1st or 2nd, his teammates would take the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th spot, meaning it would be very hard to win the meet for the Niagara Purple Eagles and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Leading the charge in 5th place was Senior Ronan McDonald with a time of 15:33.4. After the meet McDonald was very pleased with the team’s overall performance.

“It felt great to get back out there again and test the fitness after a long summer grind,” said McDonald. “We’ve all been itching to get back out there, and it was good to see everyone running strong and getting the win as a team. We feel like we’ve got something special brewing this season, and we can’t wait for the rest of the season.”

The Golden Griffins men’s team finished with 29 points, beating the Bonnies by 12 and the Purple Eagles by 42.

The Golden Griffins dominated the women’s 5K by placing in the first 4 spots earning a victory with ease. Led by Moran, Sophomore Jacqueline Appenheimer and Junior Kayla Schmidt finished 2nd and 3rd with times respectively of 18:45.2 and 18:54.2. Senior Jules Jones came in 4th with a time of 18:59.4. Moran and the entire team were very pleased to earn a 18-point meet and want to continue that as the season continues.

“I’m proud of how the team did,” said Moran. “This is probably the strongest the team has looked my whole time at Canisius. It’s still early, but we have big goals for the end of the season.”

For Moran, she PR’d by 59 seconds which was a big accomplishment, and she knows that the team will have a great season with all the returning runners and the new runners that joined the team this season.

“I was super happy with my race. I went out hard and was a little lonely out front,” said Moran.

The next meet will be on September 16th in Montgomery, New York at the Jasper Fall XC Invitational. The Golden Griffins will face the Manhattan Jaspers at 10 AM on that day.

September 2nd, 2023

Men’s Soccer Ties Skyhawks 2-2 after 25-shot 2nd Half

Written by: Andrew Nowel

On a beautiful Friday afternoon in Easton, Massachusetts, the Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team took the field on the road at Stonehill College. The 4 PM start for the Golden Griffins during the week was odd, but that didn’t stop them from nearly defeating the Stonehill Skyhawks on the 1st day in September. Though the Golden Griffins had the lead in the final 10 minutes of the game, the Skyhawks found the back of the net to end the game in a 2-2 tie after 25 shots were totaled by both teams in a wild 2nd half.

The Skyhawks got off to a good start, scoring at the 15:58 mark of the 1st half. However, Golden Griffins Junior goalkeeper Jack Petrie and the defense were able to hold off the Skyhawks for the next 15 minutes and were able to create a scoring chance on the opposite side of the field. Freshman forward Mason Petrucci was able to find the back of the net at the 32:58 mark, exactly 17 minutes after the Skyhawks had scored. It was Petrucci’s 1st goal of the season and his 1st collegiate goal.

“The feeling of scoring my 1st collegiate goal is something I’ve always thought of,” said Petrucci after the game. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity and that my hard work is starting to show.”

Now with a tie game at 1, the Golden Griffins continued to be aggressive on offense which allowed many chances coming out of halftime. At the 54:57 mark of the game, the Golden Griffins once again lit up the scoreboard as Junior forward Ely Sidibe found the back of the net for his 2nd goal of the season. With a 2-1 lead, the Golden Griffins felt confident as they continued the aggressiveness of their play. 

The 2nd half became a shootout of shots. The Golden Griffins would attempt 9 more shots before the end of the game while the Skyhawks would attempt 11 more shots with a goal being scored late in the 2nd half by the Skyhawks at the 81:50 mark of the game. 

The Golden Griffins would have a couple more chances with the game now tied at 2, but the biggest chance came when the Skyhawks shot the ball as time expired at Petrie who made the final save of the game to keep the score 2-2.

After a strong performance from the Golden Griffins in their 3rd game of the season, Petrucci and the offense were happy with the 2 goals that they scored, but knew that they could do even better as they move forward.

“The tie is a step in the right direction, but it’s still not what we were looking for,” said Petrucci. “As we move into our MAAC games, we look to continue to grow and be better as a team.”

The Golden Griffins will travel to New Britain, Connecticut to face off against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils on Monday afternoon at 1 PM.

Stats for the game

The Skyhawks recorded 19 shots (10 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 13 shots (4 on goal).

Petrie recorded 8 saves while Skyhawks Freshman goalkeeper recorded 2 saves.

The Skyhawks had 5 corners while the Golden Griffins had 1 corner.

The Skyhawks got called for 10 fouls while the Golden Griffins got called for 5 fouls.

September 1st, 2023

Women’s Soccer Plays to Scoreless Tie against Bulls

Written by: Andrew Nowel

On the final day of August, the Golden Griffins women’s soccer team returned home to Demske Field to host the Buffalo Bulls. Through a gruesome 90 minutes of back-and-forth battle, the Golden Griffins and the Bulls tied 0-0 with both teams having very good scoring chances throughout the 90 minutes.

The Golden Griffins came out strong in the 1st half with a couple of chances in the first 5 minutes of the game, but none were shot on goal. However, most of the 1st half was controlled by the Bulls as they seemed to dance around the Golden Griffin defense, but Golden Griffin Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer was right there to make some incredible saves once again.

Spencer came into the game with around 280 minutes of shutout soccer on her resume, and she wasn’t about to let the cross-town team break her streak. After making a couple incredible saves, with a little help from the crossbar, Spencer and the Golden Griffins held strong and kept the game at a 0-0 tie.

After 45 minutes, the game remained 0-0, and once again the Golden Griffins used the 15-minute break to start off strong in the 2nd half. This time, instead of allowing the Bulls to control the pace and play of the game, the Golden Griffins would create scoring chances on transitions which created a couple very high scoring chances.

Right on the 51st minute, Junior forward Madeline Weltin made a great run and found the ball at her feet with no one except the goalkeeper to beat, but she just missed the net to the right, keeping the game at 0-0. The final 15 minutes of the game were intense for both teams. Both teams created multiple high scoring chances that were saved by both goalkeepers or they missed the net. One final attempt was made by the Bulls that went wide right of the net, giving the Golden Griffins their 3rd tie of the season.

Spencer was the player of the game last night as she made 5 saves and all of them were quality saves. The Golden Griffins moved their record to 1-1-3 with the tie while the Bulls, coming off a Power 5 win against the Ohio State Buckeyes, moved their record to 2-1-1. 

Though the Golden Griffins didn’t score last night, they played well against a very good team. The Bulls are the favorites to win the MAC this season, and the Golden Griffins were not going to let their cross-town opponent walk all over them. The Golden Griffin offense created some very good chances with Weltin, Junior midfielder Emma Oliphant, and Freshman midfielder Jessica Whitaker all contributing in quality attempted shots in the 2nd half. With their next game 6 days away, the Golden Griffins won’t just be ready to play for when the St. Bonaventure Bonnies come walking onto Demske Field next Wednesday at 6 PM, they will be ready to win.

Stats for the game

The Bulls recorded 14 shots (5 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 5 shots (1 on goal).

Spencer recorded 5 saves while the Bulls Senior goalkeeper recorded 1 save.

The Bulls had 8 corners while the Golden Griffins had 0 corners.

The Golden Griffins got called for 11 fouls while the Bulls got called for 10 fouls.

August 30th, 2023

Men’s Soccer Season Preview: How the Golden Griffins will Rebound from 2 Losses

Written by: Andrew Nowel

With every season comes challenges for any team. The Canisius Golden Griffins men’s soccer team is no different. With already 2 losses on their hands, the Golden Griffins can’t afford to fall much further behind the .500 mark. Behind Head Coach Michael Tanke, the Golden Griffins shouldn’t be counted out just yet.

The Golden Griffins started the season last Thursday on the road against the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash. It was a close game, but the Red Flash pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Golden Griffins. Returning home to open their home schedule against the Cleveland State Vikings was the next game this past Monday. Again, the shootout of a game went in favor of the Vikings in a 4-3 victory. Though the Golden Griffins and Coach Tanke had lost the first 2 games of the season, there was no need to panic.

“I think both games in terms of the run of play and how the games have looked are where we want to be,” said Coach Tanke after Monday’s loss. “We’re playing in a way that we’re executing what we want to do, but in both games, we have conceded goals on transition moments where we lose the ball. The good news is that if we stop opponents from scoring we are probably in pretty good shape.”

Even though the Golden Griffins have been outscored 6-4 by their first 2 opponents, they’re scoring goals offensively which should lead to some critical wins down the road.

As the Golden Griffins look forward into the rest of the season, Coach Tanke will not be changing his game plan.

“How we’re going to attack the rest of the season is the exact same way that we’ve been doing since not only August 7th of this year, but since August 7th of last year,” said Coach Tanke. “We’re not a program that is going to be reactionary with these kinds of things. We have principles and ideas on how we want to play the game, and the scoreline isn’t going to change that.”

Leadership is always a good quality for a successful team, and the Golden Griffins have great leadership from their 5th year Senior all the way down to the Freshman who are learning how to be good leaders from Day 1.

“In terms of leadership, I think we have plenty of leaders, but in terms of age and experience, we’re probably a little bit thinner,” said Coach Tanke. “Even the Sophomores are leaders, a lot of those Sophomores have played over 1000 minutes of DI soccer, so if you’ve played 1000 minutes of DI soccer, I think age has no restrictions at that point.”

The great thing about having strong leadership in a team is that the accountability for each players’ actions on and off the field are always a priority.

“One of many advantages of having an identity of play, having principles in what we’re trying to do; a clear vision of how we want to play, is now everyone can hold each other accountable,” said Coach Tanke. “There’s no lack of understanding is to where we’re trying to go and how we’re trying to play.”

The Freshman are also able to learn how to take care of themselves on and off the field by seeing how the older guys carry themselves in different situations.

“The environment that we create is going to be what they then replicate for the next 4 years,” said Coach Tanke. “That’s for better and for worse because I think if we create a good environment, I think we’re moving in the right direction for a long time to come, and if we don’t create a good environment, it’s really hard to then reverse that, so it’s very important that they learn everything from the older guys.”

Coach Tanke and the Golden Griffins will continue to work hard to be a successful team this season. Already seeing the dreamy potential of the team only in his 2nd season, Coach Tanke feels confident that they can be a successful team this year and for years to come.

August 27th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Earns 1st Win of Season Behind Whitaker’s Clutch Goal Off Corner

Written by: Andrew Nowel

It was another beautiful day in Youngstown, Ohio this past Sunday as the Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team took the field against the Youngstown State Penguins in hopes of scoring their 1st goal and winning their 1st game. Behind Freshman midfield Jessica Whitaker, the Golden Griffins scored their 1st goal and won their 1st game 1-0.

Once again the defense for the Golden Griffins had to be sharp as early chances by the Penguins challenged Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer and her defense to be on top of their game. It took only 30 seconds for the Penguins to set up a shot that Spencer knocked away without a second thought.

Once again the offense found its roots in Junior midfield Emma Oliphant as she took the first 2 shots of the game for the Golden Griffins at the 5-minute mark and then at the 8-minute mark. The Golden Griffins seemed to control the mentality of the 1st half as the offense was creating scoring chances and the defense was locking down any opportunity that the Penguins had. 

The Golden Griffins continued this in the 2nd half as Oliphant found herself open for her 3rd shot attempt of the day which was stopped by the Penguins goalkeeper. A dangerous moment came at the 66th minute when a corner for the Penguins nearly went into the net, but Spencer made an excellent save to keep it a scoreless game.

Finally, the Golden Griffins received their 2nd corner of the game and they capitalized. With the assists going to Sophomores Lizzy Harkness and Skylar Cornell, Whitaker scored her 1st collegiate goal from the corner as a loose ball that found the back of the net.

The urgency in the Penguins’ play after the goal was scored was very evident. The only attempted shot by the Penguins, at the 86th minute, missed the net, and the clock ran out, giving the Golden Griffins their 1st win of the season. 

With another 90 minutes of shutout soccer for Spencer, she felt good as the team won, and she continued her dominance in goal.

“I feel incredibly grateful to my back line as the credit for the 3 consecutive shutouts belongs to my whole team and not just me,” said Spencer after the win. “I couldn’t do it without them! Jess scoring felt like a long time coming, and I think she finally broke through the barrier which will allow us to continue scoring more goals for the rest of the season and hopefully lead us into MAACs!”

The next game for the Golden Griffins will be hosting the Buffalo Bulls on Thursday at 6 PM.

Stats for the game

The Golden Griffins recorded 14 shots (6 on goal) while the Penguins recorded 7 shots (3 on goal).

Spencer recorded 3 saves while the Penguins Senior goalkeeper recorded 5 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 2 corners while the Penguins had 1 corner.

The Golden Griffins got called for 13 fouls while the Penguins got called for 10 fouls.

August 24th, 2023

Women’s Soccer Can’t Find Back of Net, Tie Titans for 2nd Tie of Season

Written by: Andrew Nowel

With the Canisius Golden Griffins women’s soccer team starting their season without scoring a goal in their first 2 games, the Golden Griffins came into Thursday night’s matchup against the Detroit Mercy Titans with a certain goal in mind: to score a goal. After a couple well-placed shots from Sophomore midfield Skylar Cornell and Junior midfield Emma Oliphant that couldn’t find the back of the net, the Golden Griffins held strong on the defensive side led by Junior goalkeeper Jordan Spencer who made a couple of spectacular saves in the 2nd half, ending the game in a 0-0 tie for the 2nd straight game.

The Golden Griffins took the field against the Titans with a positive mindset and some new faces in the stands. The Class of 2027, officially, began their path to becoming leaders in todays world by having orientation kick off, ending their 1st day of orientation with the 7 PM women’s soccer game. 

The Golden Griffins entered the game with a 0-1-1 record after falling to the Colgate Raiders 4-0 and tying the Binghamton Bearcats 0-0. The Golden Griffins came out strong, controlling possession while creating high scoring chances through Cornell and Oliphant. 45 minutes of the 1st half would result in a scoreless effort from both teams with both goalkeepers making good saves to keep the score at 0.

The Titans rebounded with an offensive surge at the beginning of the 2nd half, but the Golden Griffins held strong led by Sophomore center back Meghan Heath. During this surge, the Titans put multiple high scoring chances that Spencer made some spectacular saves on. 

Behind Spencer’s perfect outing in goal and the defense locking down the Titans’ attack, the Griffins defended perfectly, but could not score. The final 10 minutes of the game returned in favor of the Griffins as they held possession with a couple strong scoring opportunities that went uncapitalized. 

As the final seconds of the game came to a close, the Golden Griffins fell to 0-1-2 on the season with the defense being the highlight of Thursday night’s game. The Golden Griffins will travel to Youngstown State on Sunday to face off against the Penguins with the game kicking off at 1 PM.

Stats for the game

The Titans recorded 11 shots (6 on goal) while the Golden Griffins recorded 5 shots (4 on goal).

Spencer recorded 6 saves while the Titans Senior goalkeeper recorded 4 saves.

The Golden Griffins had 5 corners while the Titans had 4 corners.

The Golden Griffins got called for 13 fouls while the Titans got called for 10 fouls.