Harkness leads quarter-finals win, but Griffs fall short in semifinals

By Isabella Custodi

Women’s soccer advanced to the MAAC semifinals after a 2–0 win against Merrimack on Sunday, Nov. 3, but lost 3–1 to the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Thursday, ending their season. 

In the victory over the Warriors, junior Lizzy Harkness scored the first goal of the game in the first minute of the second half. “When I saw the ball go in I was so relieved. We knew that we had to come out in the second half and start the game quickly if we wanted to win, so being able to score towards the start was amazing because it settled the game down and allowed us to play with some more confidence for that second half,” Harkness explained.  She also assisted the second goal of the game, scored by senior Madeline Weltin. 

Harkness believes that the team’s success this season is based on the bond between the players. “We’re very close and have been really effective in communicating what needs to improve and what’s been working well in getting the best results possible. Both of these things together, as well as some really amazing seasons from a lot of key players, have contributed to our success this year,” said Harkness.

After their quarterfinal win, the Griffs traveled to Hamden, Connecticut for the semifinals. After losing to the Bobcats in the regular season, Harkness detailed how her team felt extra motivated for this matchup.

Despite the extra motivation, Canisius fell to Quinnipiac in the MAAC semifinals 3–1. Junior Mia Iacona scored Canisius’ first goal in the 88th minute of play, assisted by junior Skylar Cornell and freshman Azaria Fagan. Canisius had seven shots: four shots on goal and three saves during their 90-minute gameplay. Quinnipiac had two goals scored by Aisling Spillane and one by Courtney Chochol in their victory.

The loss in the semifinals concludes the season for the Griffs, ending with an overall 12–3–4 record, including 8–2–2 in MAAC play.

Photo courtesy of Tom Wolf