The Canisius College men's soccer team fell in a close battle with host San Diego State on Sunday afternoon, 2-1. The Griffs opened their season with a 0-2-0 record on their west coast trip, while the Azetcs won their first game of the 2011 campaign.
"Although I'm not happy with the result, I thought our team actually played really well," said Canisius head coach Dermot McGrane. "We showed a big improvement from Friday to Sunday. I am very pleased with our level of fitness considering we were playing in our second game of the weekend in tough conditions and they were playing their first. Our team didn't run out of gas and I thought we were the better squad for the last 20 minutes."
With temperatures in the mid 90s, Canisius opened the scoring in the contest when sophomore Will Hudson netted his first collegiate goal in the 21st minute. Junior Sam Zarka beat a number of Aztec players on the counter attack and slipped the ball past the defense and to Hudson. The sophomore defender then finished in the right corner for the early 1-0 Canisius lead.
After the Griffs played solid defense throughout the first half, San Diego State was able to take advantage of two chances late in the stanza. In the 38th minute, Jordan Ongaro connected off a corner kick to knot the game at one, scoring off a deflection in the box. Just over four minutes later, Miles Byass got a shot past netminder Kareem Gray. The junior was in position but Byass' attempt from 25 yards out took an unfortunate bounce and found the back of the net.
The Azetcs held a 13-4 advantage in shots during the opening frame, setting for a number of shots from distance. Gray finished with five first-half saves to keep the Griffs within striking distance.
The Griffs only got stronger during the second half as the teams battled in the Southern California heat. Canisius had a number of chances down the stretch but couldn't find the equalizer. Junior Andrew Incho was able to get two headers on goal in the final 12 minutes of the game but Blake Hylen came away with the save each time.
Gray finished with seven saves on the afternoon for the Griffs, while Hylen stopped three shots to earn the victory for the Aztecs. Overall, San Diego State finished with 20-9 advantage in shots.
Canisius returns to action on Thursday, playing at New York State foe Syracuse. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
