By Ryan Patota, Sports Reporter
During the past few seasons, wins have been hard to come by for the Canisius men’s soccer team, with a total of three wins over the past two seasons. Coming into this season though, the team wanted to get the best out of their players by creating more chances to score, especially before and during MAAC play.
Head Coach Michael Tanke spoke about his team's performance overall this season so far, saying, “We got off to a rough start to the season. We’ve had a course correction the last few games. Ultimately, the goal with the non-conference games is to help build and prepare for the MAAC competition.” Their main take away from the team’s non-conference play is that they have been able to put the ball in the back of the net. In the last seven games, Canisius has scored a total of 13 goals from eight different players. Their ability to create high-quality scoring chances by crashing the net has led to this success.
In the past few games at the Demske Sports Complex, the Golden Griffins’ success in scoring has led them to wins against both Central Connecticut State and VMI. In those two games, the Griffs scored a combined five goals and were aided by shutouts from senior goaltender Jack Petrie. Coach Tanke said he hopes not to rely on Petrie so heavily when they go into conference play. “We need to continue to defend set pieces and counterattacks on the defensive side of the ball,” Coach Tanke explained.
This past Saturday, the men’s soccer team earned a tie against the Saint Francis University Red Flash. Sophomore midfielder AJ Zarcone scored his first goal of the season in the 85th minute of play to tie the game. This season, Zarcone and senior defender Kodie Sarkodie are the only Griffs so far to have played every possible minute of game time. Zarcone himself has played in 18 straight games for the Golden Griffins. Coach Tanke complimented Zarcone, saying, “[He] has been a leader on and off the field. He is one of those guys that puts his body on the line, willing to take hits to defend the box.”
The Griffs know they will now be put to the test in conference play, beginning on the road in Riverdale, NY to face the Manhattan Jaspers on Sept. 28 starting at 1 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Tom Wolf
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