Third-seeded Marist ended the game on a 5-1 run to eliminate the second-seeded Canisius College women's lacrosse team in the semifinals of the MAAC Championship on Friday, 13-11. With the loss, the Griffs end their season with an 8-10 record, while the Red Foxes advance to play top-seeded Fairfield in Sunday's championship game.
“It is an unfortunate way for our seniors to go out,” said Canisius head coach Scott Teeter. “We will certainly miss everything that they have brought to this program. We played extremely hard today but just not smart enough at times.”
Senior Chelsea Martinez led the Griffs with three goals, tying the school's single-season scoring record. Martinez now has 53 tallies on the season, tying the mark of former teammate Whitney Card, which was set during the 2006 campaign. Martinez also recorded two draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls on the afternoon.
Sophomore Brianne Laffey and Taylor Gray also posted three points on in the contest. Laffey recorded two goals and an assist, while Gray scored a goal and registered two helpers. Junior Marissa Brown notched two goals, while senior Shannon Callahan and freshmen Rachel Brand and Theresa Walton rounded out the scoring for Canisius with a goal each.
Sophomore Allison Daley stopped eight shots in goal to anchor the Canisius defense.
Martinez opened the scoring for the Griffs, connecting on a feed from classmate Ashley Gray 4:16 into the contest to give Canisius the early advantage. The teams then alternated goals twice before the Red Foxes scored three-straight to take a 5-3 lead. However, Canisius answered with four-straight goals of its own. Laffey sparked the run with her first goal of the day at the 14:06 mark of the first half. Taylor Gray followed 52 seconds later to knot the game and then Brand and Martinez finished the run to give Canisius a 7-5 advantage with just 1:20 left in the opening stanza. The Red Foxes ended the half by scoring with 32 seconds remaining as the two teams headed into intermission with Canisius leading, 7-6.
Marist (12-4) scored 11 seconds into the second half to knot the game at seven but Canisius quickly reclaimed its lead. Laffey scored just 40 seconds later and then Brown scored on the free position to give the Griffs a 9-7 lead. The teams traded goals before Marist went on its clinching 5-1 run to end the game. During the streak, which spanned the final 17 minutes, Canisius fired just two shots and went 1-for-7 in clear opportunities.
Canisius edged Marist in shots, 26-25, but recorded only eight shots in the second half. The Red Foxes held the advantage in both draw controls (14-12) and ground balls (23-18). Marist was led by Lauren Ciccarello, who scored four goals, and Kelsey Thoms, who made nine saves in goal.
Game Notes: Martinez also finished the season with a school-record 62 draw controls and finished her career with a program-best 130 draw controls ... Ashley Gray finished her four-year career with 196 points, the second-most in school history ... Canisius has defeated Marist just once in 14 tries ... The Red Foxes also eliminated the Griffs in the semifinals last season.
