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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius attackman Keegan Kozack looks to pass the ball during game action vs Manhattan at the Demske Sports Complex on March 13, 2021
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8
Canisius CAN 1-4
9
Winner Air Force AFA 1-4
Canisius CAN
1-4
8
Final
9
Air Force AFA
1-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT F
Canisius CAN 4 1 2 1 0 8
Air Force AFA 3 4 1 0 1 9

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Closes Road Trip with Overtime Setback at Air Force

Aiden Tolen scored 1:05 into overtime to lift Air Force to a 9-8 victory over Canisius in collegiate men's lacrosse action Monday from Falcon Stadium at the United States Air Force Academy.
 
Tolen and Brendan Crouse finished with two goals and an assist each to pace the host Falcons (1-4). Weston Peene chipped in a pair of goals while Brian Michael (8-of-11) and Jake Knaoo (4-of-7) combined to go 12-of-18 at the face-off X.
 
Sophomore Keegan Kozack finished with four points on three goals and an assist for the Golden Griffins (1-4). Redshirt freshman Colin Kelly, who was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive week on Monday, finished with two goals and an assist. Graduate goalie Matt Vavonese made 14 saves between the pipes for Canisius.
 
In a low-scoring affair that saw neither team lead by more than two goals during the contest, Tolen was able to secure the win for the Falcons in overtime as he beat Vavonese with a low shot inside the left post from six yards out for his fourth goal of the season.
 
Canisius was able to force the extra session after Buck scored the lone goal of the fourth quarter midway through the final frame to knot the score at 8-8. Despite multiple chances, neither team was able to find the back of the net, sending the game to overtime and setting the stage for Tolen's overtime heroics.
 
Earlier in the contest, Canisius jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Kelly and freshman Patrick Mitchell, only to see Air Force respond with back-to-back strikes of its own to knot the score at 2-2.
 
The Griffs regained their two-goal edge later in the opening frame thanks to tallies from Kelly and Kozack before a goal in the final 15 seconds of the first quarter from Crouse sparked a three-goal spurt that gave the Falcons their first lead of the contest, 5-4.
 
Kozack brought Canisius level with his second of the contest with just under six minutes to play in the first half, but the Falcons closed the second quarter with a pair of goals, including a buzzer-beater from Teddy Accardi, to take a 7-5 lead into the locker room.
 
In the second half, offense was at a premium as the teams combined for just four goals over the final 30 minutes of regulation.
 
The Griffs opened the third quarter with tallies from freshman Kayden Easter and Kozack to draw even at 7-7, but Joey Matheseon answered for Air Force to give the Falcons an 8-7 edge heading into the fourth.
 
Head Coach Mark Miyashita's Postgame Comments
"It was our most complete game of the season. We battled and obviously, we'd like to have had an opportunity to get the ball in our sticks offensively in overtime. But our defense did amazing job in the second half shutting down their offense. We also showed great resiliency, coming from behind to tie the game up. Unfortunately, we just came up a little short today. Now we've got to build off some of these learning lessons that we take away from a long weekend or travel and playing and apply them moving forward.
 
"It was our focus and our intensity today that that was the big difference in the second half. We didn't have that five-minute lapse at the start of the third quarter that we've had in other games this season and we were able to use that momentum to propel us through the rest of the game.
 
"We have got to get back to dodging a little bit harder with a purpose. We got away from that at times today and we need to be making a couple of quicker reads sooner. We did a nice job early on and then kind of just got stalled out a little bit. Maybe not having as many possessions kind of contributed to that. But we'll learn from it and go from there."
 
Game Notes
• Monday's game served as the eighth meeting between Canisius and Air Force. The contest was the fourth in the series to be decided by a margin of three goals or fewer.
• Air Force out-shot Canisius, 50-36, for the contest, highlighted by a 29-19 edge in the first half.
• The Falcons were 2-of-2 in man-up situations while Canisius was 1-for-2 with the extra attacker.
• Canisius committed a season-low 12 turnovers during the contest.
• Monday's game was the fourth in the Mark Miyashita era to go to overtime and the first since the 2018 MAAC Championship game against Detroit Mercy. The Griffs are now 3-1 under Miyashita in extra-session games.
• Kozack recorded his second hat trick of the season and the fifth of his career with his three-goal effort on Monday.
• Vavonese recorded double-digit saves in a game for the third time this season and the eighth time in his career with his 14-save performance on Monday. He also led the Griffs with five ground balls.
 
Up Next
Canisius makes its 2022 home debut on March 6 when it welcomes Cleveland State to the Demske Sports Complex. Start time for the game is slated for noon.  

For all the latest updates on Canisius men's lacrosse, be sure to follow @GriffsMLax on Twitter and Instagram.
 
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