By Steve Marcus
Contributing Writer
The Bonnies ended their program record 16-game winless streak that dates back to Sept. 21, 2011 after beating Saint Francis (Pa., 2-2-2) Sunday. The Bonnies travel to Little 3 rival Canisius tonight at 7. The men return home to take on Niagara Sunday at 1 p.m.
After a scoreless 90 minutes, the Bonnies outshot the Red Flash 20-10, forcing the Saint Francis keeper to make nine saves.
Canisius enters tonight’s game with a record of 5-1-2. This is the best start in Golden Griffin’s history. The team is also ranked third in the NSCAA North Atlantic Top 25. The Golden Griffs are fresh from the UNLV Nike Invitational where they beat California State Fullerton (4-2) before falling to host UNLV, 5-1.
The Golden Griffs have outscored their opponents 17-14 on the season. Griffs Redshirt senior and two-time MAAC offensive player of the week, Gavin Falconer, leads the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists, which is tied for the most goals in the country.
Junior midfielder Brad Vanino took a free kick five minutes in the extra session, blasted a low line drive into the box that deflected off a Saint Francis defender and propelled the men to their first win of the season.
Bonnies Junior midfielder Robert D’Cruz said team morale is at an all-time high.
“Morale has been boosted, but we are all ready to get back to work and be even better by the time we play Canisius,” D’Cruz said.
D’Cruz considers the Canisius match to be just as important as any other, despite being a Little 3 rival.
“For me, it’s just as important as any other game,” D’Cruz said. “No matter who we play, I’m still going in with the same attitude and intensity.”
Junior midfielder James Reed said the team still has room to improve despite its latest win.
“Obviously it feels great to get our first win after our early season struggles, but we know there’s still a lot of work to be done to get things sorted out,” Reed said. “We’re just trying to stay positive.”
Junior defender Kolby Banker said the road ahead is tough for the team, but doable.
“The win was a great boost for us,” said Banker. “We have three difficult, but winnable,games ahead. We’re hoping we can get results in those with the same game plan as Sunday.”
Reed said defense will be key for tonight’s game.
“We’re looking to minimize their opportunities and to stay more connected as a team for 90 minutes,”
Banker added the new style of play the team instilled paid off on Sunday.
“We’re trying out some new formations with some new people on the field,” Banker said. “It paid off for us on Sunday and we feel confident going into the game tonight.”
With only three non-conference games remaining, the Bonnies are looking to build off Sunday’s victory as they head into conference play.
