ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure women's soccer team fell to Little Three rival Canisius Wednesday evening in the team's non-conference finale in front of a large crowd at the Marra Athletics Complex. The visiting Golden Griffins grabbed an early lead and never looked back to take a 2-0 victory over the Bonnies.
Canisius netted the first goal of the game in the early going off a set-piece opportunity. The Griffs Izzy Harkness capitalized on a corner in the third minute to take a 1-0 lead.
St. Bonaventure looked poised to strike back in the 14
th minute as freshman
Torrie Grant-Clavijo found space at the top right corner of the 18-yard box. The Toronto, Ontario native sent off a powerful shot, but the Canisius keeper made the stop.
In the 25
th minute of play, Canisius had another set-piece opportunity on a corner, sending a shot off the crossbar that was eventually cleared by the Bona defense.
The final shot of the first half came off the foot of
Evie Underhill who drove a ball low and into the gloves of the Griffins goalie.
Bona keeper
Chiara Gottinger was tested again early in the second half, making a stop in the 50
th minute.
Underhill recorded the first shot of the second half for St. Bonaventure but was denied by a Griffin defender.
Canisius netted their second score of the night in the 70
th minute. Emma Oliphant was credited for the goal.
St. Bonaventure had its best scoring opportunity of the evening in the 75
th minute as Underhill found
Alessia Donia open at the penalty spot; however, Donia missed her shot high.
The Bonnies finished the night with four shots.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH DONNY GEORGE
"Canisius has always been a tough opponent, and they put us under pressure from the very first whistle. Conceding an early goal from a set piece unsettled us, and it took about 15-20 minutes to regain our rhythm. From that point on, I thought we started to pose more of a threat and maintained better possession."
"In the second half, we began to play more like ourselves and did well to limit Canisius' chances. Unfortunately, we conceded another goal due to a defensive error against their direct play, but even as the game drew to a close, we kept pushing to find ways to score."
"We have a week to prepare for Atlantic 10 play and I'm happy we are healthy. Our non-conference schedule has provided many opportunities for us to learn and grow. Together we will use those experiences to help us be competitive in conference play. Thank you to all the friends, family and students who supported us tonight."
UP NEXT
Bona returns to action Thursday, Sept. 19 as they travel to George Washington for the start of Atlantic 10 Conference play.
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