The Canisius College women's lacrosse team rallied from an eight-goal deficit to tie the game late in the second half, but Marist scored with 1:17 left in regulation to earn a 15-14 victory. The loss was the Griffs' first conference defeat of the season and Canisius now stands 6-7 on the season and 1-1 in MAAC play.
“We can't dig ourselves a hole that big in the first half,” said Canisius head coach Scott Teeter. “I was proud of the girls in how we responded and played in the second half. Once we figure out how to play for a complete 60 minutes, it will all come together. It was nice to see a captain in Chelsea Martinez stand up and get us back on the right track.”
Junior Chelsea Martinez recorded a career-best six goals to lead the Griffs rally, while senior Whitney Card posted five points on four goals and an assist. Junior Ashley Gray posted three points, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist, and freshman Emily Maguire netted two tallies to round out the Canisius scoring.
Senior Lauren Walsh recorded three assists on the night to raise her season total to 30. Her 30 assists tie the school record that Walsh previously set during the 2006 campaign.
Marist (6-6, 3-1 MAAC) started the game strong, opening a six-goal advantage in the first 7:50. The Red Foxes scored the first three goals of the game in just 1:32 and after Martinez netted her first score of the night, Marist would add another two goals in the next 25 seconds. The Griffs would call a timeout with Marist leading 5-1 just 2:56 into the game but the pause in action would not stop the Red Foxes momentum.
Marist tallied five of the next six goals to stretch its lead to a game-high eight goals, 10-2. Gray scored with 2:19 left in the first half as the two teams headed into intermission with Marist leading, 10-3.
In the second half, the Griffs' made their run. The two teams traded goals to open the second frame and then Martinez would net the next three goals to pull the Griffs within four, 11-7. Marist responded with two goals but Card and Martinez would once again score to pull Canisius back within four, 13-9. Marist ended the two-goal run to take a 14-9 advantage but Canisius would not give up and would get back into the game.
Martinez scored her sixth goal of the night with 10:02 left in the game to make the score 14-10. Card scored less than a minute later as Canisius continued to gain momentum and pull within three. Maguire then netted a free-position goal with 8:13 left in the game and Card would follow suit with an eight-meter goal at the 3:25 mark as Canisius was within one, 14-13.
Gray scored her second goal of the night just 27 seconds later as Canisius was tied for the first time since the game was knotted at zero. Marist won the ensuing draw control and after freshman goalie Allison Daley recorded a save, Canisius was called for a foul with 1:17 left in the game, giving the Red Foxes a free-position shot. Lindsey Diener would net her fifth goal of the evening on the resulting eight-meter shot as Marist would reclaim the advantage, 15-14.
The Griffs won the ensuing draw control but the Marist defense would not allow an open look at the goal. Canisius had to try and force a shot and in doing so, the Griffs committed a turnover with just over 10 seconds left in the game, sealing the Red Foxes' victory.
Daley recorded five saves in goal for the Griffs. Marist's Liz Burkhard posted 12 saves in net, including nine in the first half to help give the Red Foxes an eight-goal advantage.
The Griffs continue play at home when they welcome Fairfield to the Demske Sports Complex on Sunday. First draw is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Game Notes: Marist and Canisius were picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the preseason MAAC poll ... The Griffs' greatest comeback in school history was seven goals, set last season against Saint Mary's (Calif.). Canisius trailed 9-2 before winning the game 14-12 ... Martinez moved into seventh place with 56 career goals. The junior passed Amanda Marts, who recorded 52 goals from 2004 to 2007 ... Walsh owns the Griffs' career record with 91 career assists and owns three of the top four single season marks ... Card's four goals and five points are both season high marks.
