Syracuse, N.Y. – In their final non-conference game of the 2023 season, the Le Moyne women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 defeat to the visiting Canisius University Golden Griffins on Wednesday at Ted Grant Field.
Canisius junior forward Madeline Weltin placed a header into the bottom left corner of the Le Moyne net in the 31
st minute off a corner kick taken by junior defender Erin Weir to give the Griffs a 1-0 lead.
Canisius doubled their lead 22 seconds into the second half when sophomore midfielder Lizzy Harkness sent a pass ahead for sophomore midfielder/forward Skylar Cornell, who played the ball to her left across the box for freshman forward Nicki Silverman who knocked the ball into the back of the net to record her second goal of the season.
Le Moyne redshirt-freshman goalkeeper
Sarah Boyea (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) made her first career start in net for the Dolphins during the match, and freshman keeper
Ainsley Napolitano (Andover, Mass./Andover) made her collegiate debut during the second half.
Boyea tallied eight saves for the 'Phins, then Napolitano recorded five saves with zero goals allowed in the final 41:30.
"Today's game was a very good test for us. It was a day with a lot of opportunities for different players to step into certain roles on the field. We found out a lot about ourselves against a quality opponent in Canisius. Definitely not the result that we strive for. Credit to Canisius for capitalizing on their opportunities," said Le Moyne head coach
Jaro Zawislan after the game. "This game ends our out of conference schedule, which has prepared us for our first season in the NEC. We spoke with the team about how a new season starts on Sunday, with every team in the conference having zero wins, zero losses, zero ties. That's why we challenge ourselves with quality opponents in our out of conference schedule, so we can be ready for NEC games," Zawislan added.
The Golden Griffins, who have not lost a game since their season opener against Colgate, improved their record to 4-1-3 with the victory. Canisius has now tallied six shutouts so far this season, with only one goal allowed in their last seven games combined.
Sophomore defender
Jasmina Barhoumi (Worms, Germany/Nelly-Sachs-IGS-D'Youville), junior forward
Sierra Edwards (Greece, N.Y./Hilton/Monroe), and freshman midfielder
Giovanna Vigliotti (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) each recorded a shot on goal for the 'Phins.
Edwards took a team-high three shots, while freshman forward
Sofia Sanzo (Niskayuna, N.Y./Colonie) registered two shots, including one that was blocked from inside the Canisius penalty area.
The Dolphins (1-5-2) will make their Northeast Conference debut on Sunday at home against Howard University.
