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Canisius University Athletics

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Alex Grattarola
Marshal Filipowicz
0
Iona College ION (5-7-4)
1
Winner Canisius CAN (12-3-4)
Iona College ION
(5-7-4)
0
Final
1
Canisius CAN
(12-3-4)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Iona College ION 0 0 0
Canisius CAN 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Men’s Soccer Advances With 1-0 Win Over Iona

Game Recap
Junior Alex Grattarola scored in the game's 26th minute and redshirt-senior goalkeeper Marco Trivellato made two saves en route to his school-record 18th career victory as the third-seeded Canisius men's soccer team defeated No. 6 seed Iona 1-0 Sunday in the first round of the 2017 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship tournament at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
With the win, the Golden Griffins (12-3-4) advance to the MAAC Championship semifinal round on Nov. 9, where the Blue and Gold will face second-seeded Rider. That game will be played on Rider's campus in Lawrenceville, N.J. The Gaels see their season ended with an overall record of 5-7-4.
 
Grattarola scored the game's only marker off an assist from redshirt-junior Bjarki Benediktsson on a free-kick restart. Benediktsson sent a pass into the box, where the 6-foot-6 Grattarola was able to get his head and on the ball in traffic and redirected it inside the left post past Iona goalkeeper Juan Alcantara. The goal for Grattarola was his seventh of the season and stands as his first career postseason points, while the assist was the team-leading 10th of the season for Benediktsson.
 
Trivellato made both of his saves in the game's first 45 minutes, as Canisius held possession for most of the second half while keeping the Iona offense from creating any scoring opportunities. The Griffs ended the game with an 11-5 advantage in shots, with eight of those coming before intermission. Alcantara was credited with three saves in the losing effort for Iona, which qualified for the MAAC Men's Soccer Championship for the sixth time in the last seven years.
 
The victory in goal for Trivellato not only gives the senior the program's career record for wins with 18, but it also gives him the school's single-season wins record with 10. Additionally, the Padua, Italy native recorded his 12th career shutout on Sunday, which allows him to pass former Griffs Nick Christou (1992-95) and Andrew Coughlin (2014-15) for the program record in that category as well.
 
Head Coach Dermott McGrane's Postgame Comments
"I thought it was a bit of an ugly game, especially in the first half, but the boys calmed down at halftime and gave a very mature performance in the second half. I thought they managed the game well and showed a lot of composure in the game's second 45 minutes of play."
 
Game Notes
• The game against Iona was the first MAAC postseason home game for Canisius in school history.
• Sunday marked the 31st all-time meeting between Canisius and Iona, and it was the third time the two programs have met in the conference's postseason tournament.
• Despite Canisius' win on Sunday, Iona leads the series 19-8-4 all-time. In the postseason, the Griffs are now 2-0-1 against the Gaels, having scored wins on Sunday and in 2007. The 2003 MAAC Championship first round game between the two programs ended in a 0-0 draw, with Iona advancing on penalty kicks.
• The Griffs move on to the MAAC Men's Soccer Championship semifinal round for the fourth time in program history and for the second-straight season.
• Benediktsson is just the sixth player in school history to record 10-or more assists in a single season, and he's the first Griff to accomplish that since former Griff Alan McGreal had 12 assists to his credit in 2008.
• The assist on Sunday was the 11th in the career of Benediktsson, which ties him for 10th all-time in program history.
 
Up Next
Canisius will travel to play at Rider in the 2017 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 9. Game time will be announced on Monday. Canisius and Rider played to a 1-1 draw Oct. 21 in New Jersey when the teams met in the regular season. That game featured a combined 38 shots between the two teams.
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