Junior Lizzy Harkness tallied a goal and an assist to propel No. 3 seed Canisius to a 2-0 victory over No. 6 seed Merrimack in the Quarterfinals of the 2024 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship Sunday at the Demske Sports Complex.
The Golden Griffins improved to 12-3-3 overall with the win as they advanced to the tournament semifinals, where they will faced No. 2 seed Quinnipiac. The Warriors meanwhile, finished the season with a 7-9-3 overall record.
Canisius controlled the first half, outshooting the Warriors by a 12-2 margin while not allowing a shot on goal, but could not find the back of the net as the game would remain tied at the end of the half.
The Griffs got on the scoreboard just 1:10 into the second half when Harkness put home a Meghan Heath rebound past Warriors goaltender Lily Morgan to take a 1-0 lead.
Canisius doubled their lead in the 82nd minute with senior Madeline Weltin beating Morgan off a pass from Harkness.
The two goals were enough help for Griffs goaltender Jordan Spencer as she only faced one shot on goal on way to her ninth shutout of the season.
POSTGAME COMMENTS
GAME NOTES
• Sunday's game served as the second contest between Canisius and Merrimack. The Golden Griffins have won both contests.
• The Griffs outshot the Warriors, 20-3, highlighted by a 11-1 shots on goal margin
• Weltin led the Griffs with five shots, four of which were on net.
• Spencer's recorded her ninth shutout of the season with Sunday's victory, tied the school record for most shutouts in a season
• Spencer also tied the school record for wins in a season with her 12th victory of 2024.
• Senior Sophia Konstantinou extended her consecutive minute streak to 2,430 straight minutes played.
UP NEXT
No. 3 seed Canisius heads to No. 2 seed Quinnipiac Thursday for the semifinals of the 2024 MAAC Women's Soccer Championship. Kickoff between the Griffs and Bobcats is slated for 1 p.m. at the Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium in Hamden, Conn.
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.
