The Canisius College men's soccer team used a strong first half to take an early advantage and held on in the second for a 1-0 victory against Big 4 rival Buffalo on Sunday night. The Griffs earned their third-straight victory to improve to 3-2-0 on the season, while the Bulls dropped to 1-5-0.
“I thought our play in the first half was very good overall and I was pleased to see us create dangerous scoring chances,” said Canisius head coach Dermot McGrane. “In the second half, Buffalo played very well and kept us on our heels but I was impressed in the way we defended as a team and found a way to win.”
The Griffs controlled the first half of play and had a number of chances early to grab the advantage. After barely missing an open header in the third minute of play, senior forward Asani Samuels regrouped in the 38th minute with his team-leading third goal of the campaign. Freshman defender Jake Montante sent a through ball down the right sideline to classmate Lucian Preis. From the endline, Preis then sent a high cross toward the middle of the box, which Samuels headed back into the net for the 1-0 lead.
The one goal was all the offense the Griffs needed on the night as the Canisius defense was quick to close in and did a good job of limiting dangerous looks for the Bulls. Buffalo was able to fire 17 shots on the night but could only muster three on goal. The Bulls' best look was on a header from Sean Young in the 76th minute but junior netminder Andrew Coughlin was there to make the save and preserve the clean sheet for the Griffs.
Canisius finished the game with a slight edge in shots, 18-17, with both teams having three corner kicks. Coughlin stopped all three shots he saw on the night, while Waleed Cassis recorded four saves for the Bulls in defeat.
The Griffs look to continue their winning ways next Sunday with a road contest at Robert Morris. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
Game Notes: The Griffs have won their first three home games for the first time since 1976 when Canisius opened the year with wins in Buffalo against St. Bonaventure, St. John Fisher and Eisenhower … Samuels already has three goals in five games this season, matching his total from 18 games during his junior season … The assist for Preis and Montante marked the first collegiate points for the freshmen … Canisius improved to 10-26-7 all-time against Buffalo and 3-2-3 in the last eight meetings.
