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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius goalie Matt Vavonese makes a save during game action against Siena at the Demske Sports Complex on March 20, 2022
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13
Winner Marist MARIST 6-7,4-1 MAAC
7
Canisius CAN 2-11, 1-4 MAAC
Winner
Marist MARIST
6-7,4-1 MAAC
13
Final
7
Canisius CAN
2-11, 1-4 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Marist MARIST 2 5 4 2 13
Canisius CAN 0 3 2 2 7

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Men’s Lacrosse Falls in Home Finale to Marist

Marist tallied the first seven goals of the game on its way to a 13-7 victory over Canisius in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's lacrosse action Saturday at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
Jojo Pirreca scored two goals and dished out three assists to lead the Red Foxes (6-7, 4-1 MAAC). Kellen Pulera and James Lyons recorded hat tricks while Jason Intermesoli and Hunter Embury both finished with four points as each player registered two goals and two assists.
 
Graduate keeper Matt Vavonese recorded 18 saves between the pipes for the Golden Griffins (2-11, 1-4 MAAC). Senior Jacob Buck tallied two goals and two assists to pace the Canisius attack. Junior Kyle Brunsch (2G) and sophomore Keegan Kozack (1g, 1a) finished with two points each.
 
Freshman faceoff specialist Johnny Richiusa was 12-of-21 at the faceoff X with a game-high 12 ground balls.  
 
Marist used first-quarter goals from Joshua Balcarcel and Pulera to grab a 2-0 lead before opening the second quarter with five unanswered tallies, highlighted by a pair of man-up goals from Intermesoli and Pulera, to build a 7-0 cushion with just over three minutes to play in the first half.  
 
A man-up goal from Buck with 2:10 remaining in the second quarter got Canisius on the board and sparked a three-goal spurt from the Griffs that saw redshirt freshman Erik Allen and Brunsch also find the back of the net, making it a 7-3 game at the break.
 
Marist regained control of the game at the start of the third quarter, opening the second half with four straight goals to take its largest lead of the game, 11-3.
 
Canisius answered back, book-ending the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters with three unanswered goals to pull within five.
 
That would be as close as the Griff would get, however, as Marist tallied two of the last three goals of the game to determine the six-goal final margin.
 
Head Coach Mark Miyashita's Postgame Comments
"For the second week in a row, our defense played a really great game. Matt Vavonese with 18 saves was a rock back there. There was a great effort from our defensive unit in terms of the way they played and the score doesn't reflect their efforts today because unfortunately, our offense turned the ball over 21 times. It put our defense on their heels and forced them to have to play a lot. That's unacceptable in terms of our lack of execution at the offensive end. But, give credit to the faceoff unit and our defensive guys, they were amazing today.
 
"The intensity of the game was great. It was playoff-level intensity against a conference rival. It was a great atmosphere to be able to compete in. Unfortunately, we had too many guys that weren't ready for the challenge at the offensive end. So, it hampered the overall team effort. But, in terms of the atmosphere, it was electric. It stinks for our guys to come out on the short end of the stick here today.
 
"First off, we're going to work this week like we normally do. It doesn't change our mindset of how we're going to prepare and get ready for next week's game. We're going to take advantage of the time that we have left as a group because this team after next Saturday won't set foot on the field again together. So, we're going to do everything in our power to make sure that we have the result that we want at the end of that game. Some guys, we are going to see what we have here. We got some injuries and we'll see where we're at in terms of our overall health. Some guys might need to step up and make some plays for us."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday's game served as the 30th meeting between Canisius and Marist. The Red Foxes increased their lead in the all-time series to 18-12 with Saturday's triumph.
• Marist out-shot Canisius, 54-34, for the game, highlighted by a 33-17 edge during the second and third quarters.
• Canisius was 2-for-4 in man-up situations on Saturday while Marist was 4-for-7.
• Vavonese recorded 18 or more saves in a game for the second straight contest and third time this season. He has finished with double-digit saves in 10 of 13 games played this season.
• Richiusa recorded double-digit faceoff wins for the sixth time this season and tallied eight or more ground balls for the fifth time in 2022.
• Buck notched four or more points for the fourth time this season with his four-point effort on Saturday.
• Brunsch tallied multiple goals in a game for the first time in his career as he finished with two goals on Saturday.
• Sophomore Jacob Pahnke and redshirt freshman Erik Allen both scored their first career goals during the contest.  
 
Up Next
Canisius closes out the regular season April 30 with a MAAC contest at Little Three foe St. Bonaventure. Opening faceoff between the Griffs and Bonnies is slated for noon at the Marra Athletics Field Complex in Olean.
 
For all the latest updates on Canisius men's lacrosse, be sure to follow @GriffsMLax on Twitter and Instagram.
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