BUFFALO, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure women's soccer team (3-6-1) scored three second-half goals to defeat Little Three rival Canisius (2-8) Sunday afternoon, 3-2, to close its non-conference schedule riding a three-game winning streak.
After opening the season with six losses and a tie, the Bonnies begin Atlantic 10 Conference action next weekend with strong momentum following the three straight wins to cap a highly-competitive non-league docket.
After falling behind just three minutes into the game, the Bonnies fought back and tied the contest early in the second half on a Shannon Van Riper penalty kick and then earned the victory courtesy of a Molly Curry unassisted tally in the 82nd minute.
Canisius's initial strike came when Megan Mahoney volleyed home her first goal off the season off a corner kick from Alexis Kroese in the 3rd minute. The Griffs would carry that 1-0 lead into the halftime break before the Bonnies began their second-half comeback.
A foul by Canisius in the box led to Van Riper's penalty-tally tying goal in the 52nd minute – her fourth goal of the season, third of the weekend and second penalty kick goal of the campaign. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Griffs responded in the 64th minute with a goal from Brianna Smith.
SBU countered that strike when sophomore transfer Caitlin MacConnell delivered her first goal in the Brown and White off a Brittany Charles corner kick in the 73rd minute.
The game-winner came off the foot of Curry – the team's leading returning scorer from 2011 – in the 82nd minute when her shot from about 10 yards out beat Canisius keeper Megan Tock.
After the victory, head coach Manoj Khettry credited his team's aggressiveness as the reason it enters the conference slate on a three-game winning streak.
"We were much more aggressive in the front third of the field in the second half," Khettry commented. "We took more people on in the front third and that led to corner kick opportunities for us. It also helped our defense as we were able to lock them into their own end."
With Van Riper and MacConnell's goals, the Bonnies finished their undefeated weekend with five set-piece goals leading into the A-10 openers next weekend.
"It's great for our players' confidence," Khettry said of the win. "In our non-conference scheduling, we try to create an A-10 game atmosphere each match, and our last three games have felt like conference games. Hopefully we've prepared them well for that heading into next weekend."
St. Bonaventure opens its A-10 schedule on the road next weekend when it travels to Philadelphia to face La Salle on Friday night at 7 before heading to New York City to battle Fordham on Sunday afternoon at 1.
