BUFFALO — The Canisius women’s lacrosse team will open home play with a matchup against Columbia Saturday from the Demske Sports Complex. The Blue and Gold are coming off of an 18-6 loss to No. 5 Syracuse last Saturday, while gaining a 15-11 win over Oregon on Feb. 13.
Canisius is led offensively by juniors Erica Evans and Jen Reininger, who have a team-high seven points on six goals and one assist. Junior Lauren Smolensky leads the Blue and Gold with three assists. Evans is tied for the team lead in ground balls (8) and draw controls (6) with senior Ashley Bull, while leading the team in caused turnovers (6). Canisius goalkeeper Rebecca VanLaeken has started all three games for the Griffs, posting a 13.24 GAA and a .506 save pct.
Saturday’s game marks the second time the teams will be facing off. The Lions won the first ever matchup last season, 16-8, from Robert K. Kraft Field in New York.
Columbia is 1-1 to begin the season, with a 14-8 loss to Drexel to begin the year, while defeating MAAC opponent Fairfield 13-11 on Wednesday. Senior midfielder Taylor Quinn leads the Lions offensive attack, scoring seven goals and adding an assist. Junior attacker Victoria Kalamaras is tied with Quinn for the team lead in points with three goals and five assists. Junior goalkeeper Kelsey Gedin holds a 12.50 GAA, while posting a .419 save pct.
The Golden Griffins will hit the road for three contests next week, starting with Binghamton at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The team will then faceoff against Delaware at 6 p.m. Mar. 3 before taking on defending national champion North Carolina on Mar. 5, at noon.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
