Lewiston, N.Y. ? The Canisius College women's lacrosse team clinched a spot in the MAAC Tournament with a 20-11 victory over rival Niagara. The Griffs remain undefeated in conference play at 4-0 and improve to 8-7 overall, while the Purple Eagles fall to 4-9 and 1-3 in the MAAC.
“With the win, it moves us one step closer of our goal of winning a MAAC Championship,” said Canisius head coach Scott Teeter. “It was great to see the leadership in our captains and upperclassmen take control of the game in the second half, responding from a sub-par first half. In the second half, we took care of the ball and made some better decisions. That is what we need to do to continue to have success in the MAAC.”
With the victory, Canisius also clinched the 2008-09 Battle of the Bridge, securing the Canal Cup for the second-straight season. The Battle of the Bridge is an all-sports series between the two rival schools.
“Canisius and Niagara is the true rivalry of Western New York,” Teeter said. “It is always a good feeling when you get a win but it is always better when it is against Niagara.”
Senior Ashley Gray recorded four goals in the victory and tied the school record for most goals in a career. Gray has now accumulated 137 career goals, tying the record set by former teammate Whitney Card. Gray also added an assist on the evening for five points.
Senior Chelsea Martinez matched career highs with six goals and six draw controls to lead the Canisius attack. With her six draw controls, the senior set the single-season record by raising her total to 54. Martinez also added four ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Junior Brett Poissant recorded her fourth-straight hat trick, while sophomore Ashley Curtis recorded four points on two goals and two assists. Sophomore Taylor Gray recorded a career-best five assists to pace the Canisius offense, all coming in the second half.
Junior Marissa Brown and freshman Megan Oosting added two tallies, while sophomore Jackie Loson rounded out the scoring for the Griffs with a goal. Brown also set career highs with seven caused turnovers and seven ground balls to anchor the Canisius defense.
The first half was a back-and-fourth affair with neither team able to gain more than a two-goal advantage. Niagara held an 8-6 lead late in the opening period but Martinez scored with 1:30 left in half and the senior would carry the momentum over to the second stanza.
Martinez tallied the first four goals of the second period to give the Griffs the lead for good, 11-8. Curtis then added a goal before Ashley Gray scored twice and Poissant capped the 9-0 Canisius run with her second goal of the evening to give the Griffs a 15-8 advantage. Niagara would score the next goal but Canisius answered with three-straight scores to put the game out of reach for its fourth-straight conference victory.
Leigh Downing and Courtney Formato led the Purple Eagles with three goals each. Whitney Gill made 14 saves in goal for Niagara, while sophomore Allison Daley stopped three shots for the Griffs in the victory.
Next up for the Griffs is Fairfield, the only other undefeated team in the MAAC. The two squads will battle for the conference regular-season championship on Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
Game Notes: The Griffs clinched their second-straight MAAC Tournament appearance and its third overall ... Canisius has outscored opponents 33-7 in the second half during its last three games ... The Griffs currently lead the Battle of the Bridge, 18-10, with six points left to be contested ... Martinez topped the previous single-season record of 48 draw controls, set by Alana Chan in 2005. The senior set the school's career record in the Griffs' last game against Manhattan ... Martinez now has 48 goals on the season, just five shy of the single-season school record, set by Card in 2006 ... Taylor Gray has 11 assists in the last three games ... Poissant has recorded 14 points (13g, 1a) in the last five games and after posting four points in the first 10 games (1g, 3a).
