CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
POUGHKEEPSIE — J.D. Recor recorded five points and keeper Brian Corrigan made 17 saves to lead third-seeded Marist to an 8-5 victory over second-seeded Canisius in the second semifinal contest of the 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Championship Friday at Tenney Stadium.
Recor tallied two goals and added three assists to pace the Red Foxes (10-5), who advanced to the championship contest for the fourth consecutive season. They will face top-seeded Monmouth, who recorded an 11-7 victory over fourth-seeded Detroit Mercy during the first semifinal contest, in the title game Sunday at 10 a.m.
Junior Connor Kearnan tallied three goals and added an assist to lead the Griffs (6-9). Senior Lewis Vaccaro and junior Eric Gold also scored for Canisius while junior Keeper Liam Ganzhorn finished with 12 saves.
The teams traded goals to open the contest as Kyle Quinn struck first for Marist just 76 seconds into the game, only to see Kearnan counter for Canisius with a little more than two minutes to play in the opening frame to tie it at 1-1.
The Red Foxes regained their lead in the final seconds of the first with Morrison finding the back of the net from a tight angle with seven ticks on the clock to make it a 2-1 contest.
Marist carried the momentum into the second quarter, using tallies from Joe Tierney and Recor to build a 4-1 cushion midway through the stanza.
Gold pulled Canisius within two less than a minute after Recor’s strike to make it a 4-2 game, but the Red Foxes countered with tallies from Morrison and Mitchell Standera to take its largest lead of the half, 6-2.
Vaccaro trimmed the Canisius deficit with less than two minutes to play before the halftime break, beating Corrigan from the right side to make a 6-3 game.
Recor extended the Marist advantage back to four in the opening seconds of the second half, putting home his second of the contest just 54 seconds into the third to make it a 7-3 contest.
Kearnan kept the Griffs within striking distance, burying his second of the game near the midway point of the frame to pull Canisius within three, 7-4.
Marist once again took advantage of a late tally to close out the third, this time benefitting from a James Sarrocco goal in transition with four seconds to play to carry an 8-4 lead into the fourth.
Kearnan completed his hat trick with 13:40 to play in the contest to make it an 8-5 game and Canisius turned up the pressure following Kearnan’s tally, but a trio of shots that found the goalposts and six saves by Corrigan kept the Griffs from getting any closer before the final buzzer.
Head Coach Randy Mearns Postgame Comments
“We had opportunities at times, but we didn’t bury them. We couldn’t get that momentum. Maybe it’s different if we get one of those shots that went off the post during the fourth quarter to go in and make it 8-6, but it’s a game of inches. An inch one way here or another there and maybe we’re talking about a different outcome tonight.
“Give credit to Marist. They had a game plan. they executed early and that got us a little frazzled and that got us off our game plan. But, our resolve was there and that allowed us to get back to the basics. We had chances there to climb back in it, but it was not meant to be tonight.
“I feel for our guys. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them the entire year. It’s tough to see it end this way. Our seniors have meant so much to this program during their four years. They’ve done so much for this program in terms of culture and how we want to be known as a program. My heart goes out to them right now.”
Game Notes– Canisius moves to 11-15 all-time against Marist as the Red Foxes picked up their fifth win in the last six contests against the Griffs.
– Canisius moved its all-time record to 4-7 in the MAAC Championship with Friday’s setback. All seven of the Griffs losses in the event have come in the semifinal round.
– Canisius out-shot Marist, 35-29, during the contest. The Griffs held a 10-5 edge in shots taken during the first quarter and registered 11-of-16 shots taken during the fourth frame.
– Marist won 11-of-17 faceoffs during the contest, highlighted by a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the faceoff X during the third quarter.
– Senior Jeff Edwards finishes his Canisius career tied with Nick LoCoco for 13th place on the program’s career points chart (121). Edwards also ends his career in ninth place on the Griffs’ career assists list (71).
– Junior Connor Kearnan recorded his eighth hat trick of the season and the 13th of his collegiate career with his three-goal effort on Friday. Kearnan also wraps up his junior campaign with 59 points, the eighth highest single-season point total in school history.
– Junior Liam Ganzhorn recorded double-digit saves in a game for the seventh time this season and the 14th time in his career.