Sophomore Erica Evans scored a career-high six goals in a 17-6 victory over Duquesne this afternoon from Pittsburgh, Pa., moving the Griffs to 2-2 on the season.
In total, eight Golden Griffins found the back of the net, four of those being double digit totals. Evans (6), along with sophomore Lauren Smolensky (3), senior Taylor Giglio and freshman Tessa Chad (2) all recorded multi-goal games.
“Today was a total team effort,” said head coach Scott Teeter. “It's the first time this year we played up to our full potential on both sides of the ball. Everyone really got involved, including defensively. The defense made plays that led to our offensive success, Rebecca played well for us in net as well.”
The Golden Griffins bounced back with force from their 13-4 loss to Delaware this past Saturday, jumping out to a 6-1 lead early in today's contest.
“We made the most of our opportunities early on,” Teeter said. “I think we learned a lot from our mistakes against Delaware and did today what they did to us last weekend.”
The Griffs would bring a 10-3 lead into the half, with Evans leading the way recording four goals. Giglio scored both of her goals in the first half of play, her sixth and seventh of the season. Chad's goal at 18:42 extended her goal streak, as the freshman has scored in all four games of her young career.
Sophomore Allie Stewart also added a goal, her seventh of the year, with senior Caroline Ogden contributing her first of the season.
Chad opened the second with her ninth goal of the season, fueling a 6-1 Griffs run to begin the half.
Canisius would add a total of seven goals in the second half, including goals from two freshmen Brenna Shanahan and Jourdan Roemer who each scored on free position attempts.
The Blue and Gold scored on eight of their 14 free position attempts, while Duquesne was four of nine. The Griffs also won the battle in draw controls (14-10) and shots (29-20).
Canisius will return to action March 16, when the Griffs play host to No. 4 Louisville at the Demske Sports Complex. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Game Notes: Rebecca Van Laeken returned in net for the Griffs, recording a season best seven saves… Jourdan Roemer's goal, scored with 44 seconds remaining, was the first of her young career… The victory was the team's first on the road in 2016… Lauren Smolensky led the team with three draw controls to go along with her three goals…Evans' six goal performance trumps her old career high of five, which she has accomplished twice…Evans also recorded a team-high eight ground balls…Senior Sami Franco led the team in caused turnovers with three.
