The Canisius College men's soccer team controlled a non-conference game against St. Francis (Pa.) but couldn't quite finish its opportunities as the schools played to a 0-0 draw on Sunday afternoon. The Griffs, who are unbeaten in their last six games, finish the non-conference season with a 5-2-1 record, while the Red Flash is 5-3-1.
“I was pleased with the team's performance today,” said Canisius head coach Dermot McGrane. “St. Francis is a very good team and to outshoot them 26-7 is an impressive feat. I thought the St. Francis keeper played very well today and made some impressive saves but I would still like to see us more clinical in front of the net. I was also very pleased to see us get our fourth shutout of the year after conceding two late goals on Friday.”
Canisius dominated possession – using a 26-7 advantage in shots to control the tempo in the contest. The Griffs had a number of near misses throughout the game, starting with a Derek Maier header in just the third minute that glanced off the crossbar. In the second half, Thomas Teupen headed a shot down but the St. Francis netminder made the save.
After holding the Red Flash without a shot on goal in regulation, St. Francis had its best opportunity in the first overtime. After a Canisius foul, the Red Flash used a fast restart and Ryan Byers fired a shot toward net but junior goalie Andrew Coughlin was there to make the save and keep the game scoreless.
Canisius then followed with two great chances. Freshman Mo Kretschmer fired a shot toward goal but it deflected off a Canisius player and wide of the net. Early in the second overtime, freshman Anthony Mandola just missed heading an open cross before junior Chris Berardi would knock the ball wide to seal the 0-0 draw.
In addition to the 26-7 advantage in shots, Canisius held a slight edge in corner kicks, 5-4. Coughlin's one save secured his fourth shutout of the season in just eight games, while Andrew Garcia recorded eight saves for the Red Flash.
Canisius now turns its attention toward conference play, opening up MAAC action with a road game at defending regular-season champion Monmouth. The schools are set to meet on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Game Notes: The Griffs' six-game unbeaten streak is just one shy of the school record. Canisius had a seven-game run (5-0-2) during the 2012 season … The tie ended the team's five-game winning streak, which was tied for the longest in school history … With his fourth shutout of the season, Coughlin matched the school's single-season record. It marks the eighth time in the program's history a netminder recorded four shutouts in a season … St. Francis entered the game allowing just 11.9 shots per game during the season … The tie was the first in 15 meetings between the schools.
