Senior Emma Oliphant tallied two goals to propel Canisius to a 5-1 victory over Niagara in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conferenc women's soccer action Wednesday at the Demske Sports Complex.

The Golden Griffins improved to 11-3-3 overall and 8-2-2 in conference play with the victory. The Purple Eagles, meanwhile, dropped to 5-8-4 overall and 1-7-4 in MAAC play.

Niagara struck first with a goal from Morgan Kulniszewski off a pass from Isabella Mazzaferro that beat Golden Griffins goaltender Jordan Spencer on the right side in the ninth minute.

The Griffs leveled the score six minutes later when junior Mia Iacona beat Purple Eagles goaltender Maddie Crosbie off a pass from Madeline Weltin.

Canisius took the lead just eight minutes later in the 23rd minute with a goal from Oliphant as she beat Crosbie on the right side, once again off a pass from Weltin.

Senior Erin Weir extended the Griffs lead three minutes before the end of the half beating Crosbie on the left side on a free kick attempt to give Canisius a 3-1 lead at the break. 

Oliphant scored her second of the contest in the 75th minute off a rebound from a shot by senior Sophia Konstantinou.

Sophomore Mary Molloy put the game out of reach in the 87th minute, scoring her first collegiate goal heading the ball past Crosbie off a free kick from junior Jessica Whitaker.

GAME NOTES
• Wednesday's game served as the 55th contest between Canisius and Niagara. The Golden Griffins have won the last two contests.
• The Griffs out shot the Purple Eagles, 27-7, highlighted by a 16-3 shots on goal margin
• Iacona led the Griffs with eight shots, five of which were on net.
• Iacona also has now scored goals in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
• Konstantinou extended her consecutive minute streak to 2,340-straight minutes played.

UP NEXT
Canisius will open postseason play on Sunday, Nov. 3, when the third-seeded Griffs play host to No. 6 seed Merrimack in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship tournament at the Demske Sports Complex. Game time is set for 1 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

SUPPORT THE GRIFFS
Support the Canisius women's soccer team in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the women's soccer program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.