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Canisius University Athletics

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Michael Switala keeps the ball away from a Saint Francis (Pa.) defender
Saint Francis University Athletics
4
Winner Canisius CAN (1-2-1, 0-0-0)
2
Central Connecticut CCSU (1-3-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Canisius CAN
(1-2-1, 0-0-0)
4
Final
2
Central Connecticut CCSU
(1-3-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Canisius CAN 1 3 4
Central Connecticut CCSU 2 0 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Canisius Completes Second-Half Comeback to Defeat CCSU

Canisius tallied three goals in the final 15 minutes of regulation to erase a 2-1 deficit and defeat Central Connecticut State, 4-2, in collegiate men's soccer action Monday at the Central Connecticut Soccer Field in New Britain, Conn.

With the win, the Golden Griffins secured their first victory of the young season to bring their record to 1-2-1. The host Blue Devils, meanwhile, saw their record slip to 1-3-0 with the setback.

Game Recap
CCSU used tallies from Caden Gallegher and Jacob Culpepper in the first 10 minutes of the contest to take an early 2-0 lead. 

Down two goals, the Griffs turned up the pressure on the CCSU defense, pressing their offense deeper into Blue Devil territory. This pressure resulted in a Canisius corner in the 26th minute, taken by freshman Kevin Villacorta. His cross into the box connected with the head of fellow freshman AJ Zarcone, who scored his first collegiate goal to cut the Canisius deficit in half going into the break.

In the second half, freshman Mason Petrucci and sophomore Kyle Pollard both nearly authored equalizing markers early in the frame, but both players rang shots off the crossbar. 

The Blue Devils maintained their one-goal cushion until the 76th minute, when sophomore forward Glodie Mata sent a pass ahead to sophomore Michael Switala, who buried his shot in the back of the net to level the score at 2-2. 

Gaining confidence from the equalizing marker, the Canisius offense stuck again less than eight minutes later, with sophomore Daniel Longo heading home a deep cross from freshman Alberto Reyes to give the Griffs a 3-2 lead. 

Switala provided an insurance marker for the Griffs just 64 seconds after Reyes' go-ahead tally, depositing junior Ely Sidibe's pass into the CCSU goal for his second tally of the match to make it a 4-2 contest. 

Junior keeper Jack Petrie made three saves in goal for the Griffs to earn his first collegiate win. Mick Sipples stopped five shots between the pipes for the hosts.

GAME NOTES
•Canisius led CCSU in shots (16-12), shots on goal (10-5) and corner kicks (4-2) during Monday's contest
•Switala's two goals represent his first two goals of his collegiate career
•The 4-2 win marks the first time since the 4-0 victory against Niagara on Oct. 10, 2018 where the Griffs won and scored four-or-more goals
•After the four goals scored today, Canisius now has seven players with goals this season.Longo, Sidibe and Switala are all tied for the team lead with two goals on the season 
• Canisius has eclipsed its 2022 goal total of nine already, having already amassed 10 goals in just its fourth game of the 2023 season
•The Griffs improve to 2-1-1 against schools from the NEC under second-year head coach Michael Tanke

UP NEXT
Canisius returns home to face Cornell on Sept. 9. Kickoff from the Demske Sports Complex is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
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