The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team (2-7-1 overall, 1-2-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) will welcome the Canisius Golden Griffins (8-2-1 overall, 2-0-1 MAAC) to town Saturday for their first and only meeting this season.The Golden Griffins will be looking for revenge as the last time these teams played Quinnipiac knocked them out of the MAAC tournament semifinals.
Quinnipiac has been off to a rough start this season. This veteran team had high expectations coming into the season. The Bobcats were voted as preseason favorites to win the conference and had five players represent them on the preseason all-MAAC team. The offense has started as bad as you can imagine with only four goals in the first 10 games, which is tied for worst in the NCAA.
On the other side of the ball, the Canisius offense is one of the best in the country. They command the fourth-best scoring offense in college soccer with 30 goals in 11 games. The Golden Griffins are led by sophomore Troy Brady who has netted nine goals, which leads the MAAC, and has also accumulated 20 total points, good for fifth in the nation. Canisius comes into Hamden riding a three-game win streak and a 5-0 blowout performance against conference rival Niagara.
These two teams have met nine times dating back to 2003. The Bobcats have dominated against Canisius, posting a 7-1-1 record. Although Quinnipiac has dominated the Golden Griffins in the previous nine meetings, Canisius is red hot and coming in with a high power explosive offense that will be looking for revenge against the team that ended their season a year ago in the MAAC tournament. These appear to be two teams heading in opposite directions. Canisius, having a successful 2017 campaign are looking to continue their win streak and seem to have their sights set on the MAAC championship. Quinnipiac on the other hand are having a rather disappointing season that started with such high expectations.
Coach Eric Da Costa is no stranger to big turnarounds. The 2016 MAAC Coach of the Year has been with Quinnipiac for 13 years and is credited with the uprising of the program. He looks to lead his team to victory on Saturday against the Golden Griffins of Canisius. With limited offensive production through the first 10 games, he will look to his defense to spark a light in his squad.
Coupled with a struggling offense and only one win in conference play thus far, the Bobcats look to get their season back on track with a conference win against Canisius. With only seven regular season games left, Quinnipiac has a sense of urgency to use their home field advantage to help them earn a conference victory.
Tune in for kickoff at 2 p.m. at the Quinnipiac Soccer Turf Complex in Hamden, Connecticut for this matchup between Quinnipiac and Canisius. Ryan Chichester and Mike Reilly will be on the call. For updates throughout the game, follow @QBSN on Twitter, as well as @ryanchichester1 and @mike23reilly.
Link to the game: http://quinnipiacbobcats.com/watch/?Live=417&type=Live
