The Canisius College men’s soccer team lost its season opener at Binghamton, 2-1, on Friday night.
“We looked very unsettled during the first 45 minutes and it was no surprise we entered halftime down a goal,” said Canisius head coach Dermot McGrane. “We stepped up our play in the second half and were unlucky not to get a couple of goals. I thought Melvin Blair was outstanding today and if he can keep up that level of performance, our team is going to do very well this season.”
Junior Hakeem Milson scored the Griffs’ first goal of the 2016 campaign but it was two first-half strikes by the Bearcats that proved to be the difference.
Binghamton took advantage of some early pressure and struck in the sixth minute when Nikkos Psarras gained possession of the ball at the top of the box, turned past a Canisius defender and finished for the 1-0 lead.
The Griffs then drew even with a goal against the run of play. Junior Mathew Santos found sophomore Melvin Blair open in the box and Blair knocked the ball down to Milson, who finished from close range for the 1-1 score.
The Bearcats reclaimed their lead in the 36th minute when Harrison Weilbacher connected on a free kick from right outside the box as Binghamton took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
In the second stanza, the Griff started to pour on the pressure and just missed a number of chances. Blair and Milson couldn’t finish on a pair of attempts, while Santos had one shot skim off the post before forcing the Bearcats goalie into a strong save as Binghamton held on for the 2-1 victory.
Overall, Binghamton finished the game with a 13-11 advantage in shots and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. Junior Marco Trivellato recorded six saves in his first collegiate start, while Alejandro Cubillo stopped four shots to earn the win for the Bobcats.
The Griffs return to action on Sunday with their home opener against Buffalo. The Big 4 Shield is on the line between the two local rivals as the schools meet at the Demske Sports Complex at 6 p.m.
From GoGriffs.com.
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