Game Recap
The Canisius women's soccer team saw its 2016 season come to an end with a 3-0 loss to Quinnipiac in the first round of the 2016 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship Saturday afternoon in Hamden, Conn.
The Blue and Gold finished the season with an 8-9-0 overall record. The victory allows the fourth-seeded Bobcats to advance to next weekend's MAAC Women's Soccer Championship semifinal round in West Long Branch, N.J.
Quinnipiac scored the game's first goal in the 26th minute off a direct kick from the top of the 18-yard box by senior midfielder Kelly Caruso. Caruso's blast found the top right corner of the frame over the arms of Golden Griffins' freshman goalkeeper Alana Rossi.
The Bobcats' second goal would come in the 54th minute off a bending shot from sophomore forward Alex Pelletier from the right side of Rossi over her head and into the top opposite corner from 18 yards out.
Quinnipiac capped the scoring in the 67th minute on a goal by midfielder Nadya Gill.
Rossi would get replaced in goal by freshman Meaghan O'Neill at the 58:14 minute mark. Rossi faced eight shots, stopping three and allowing two goals. O'Neill would be responsible the third goal, stopping four others of the eight shots she faced.
This was the last game with the Golden Griffins for four members of this year's team. Seniors Hannah Chesney, Sabrina Fitzgerald, Callie Good and Kathleen Lawver all made their last appearance in the Blue and Gold uniforms in the loss.
Coach Clark Postgame Comments
“The initial feeling is disappointment. We're disappointed that we lost, but it was not from a lack of effort. The kids played extremely hard all day… the first time we faced [Quinnipiac] it was rough… Quinnipiac is a tough match-up for us. We played very hard, but they deserved the win today. They were the better team… some losses for us this year were due to a bad effort, this was due to Quinnipiac showing that they're the better team… the overall focus is on that its been a great year with plenty of good things to celebrate… it's difficult for the seniors. It's hard to watch their season finish up with a loss. All four seniors are going to have great success in life. They're not going to walk off the field of life with a loss, they're going to win… they're a strong group of ladies. That's the tough part is watching them play hard for four years here and they gave a lot to this program… overall, this was a very satisfying year… this year was very positive.”
Game Notes
• This was the seventh meeting between the Griffs and the Bobcats, first in the MAAC postseason. Quinnipiac holds a 4-2-1 record between the two programs.
• Freshman Gretta Dry finishes the season with eight goals, which is the most goals for a Canisius freshman since Brianna Smith had 15 goals in 2010.
• Even with the loss, the Griffs finished with eight victories which is their most since 2011 when Canisius ended 8-7-4.
