The Canisius men's soccer team returns to conference play with a pair of home games against Marist and Siena. The final home weekend of the season for the Griffs, Canisius will host the Red Foxes on Friday at 7 p.m., while playing the Saints in a Senior Day contest on Sunday at noon.
SENIOR CELEBRATION
• Sunday's senior day contest will mark the final home game for one of the most successful classes in school history.
• The eight Canisius seniors have totaled 24 victories during their careers, tying them for the most successful class in school history. Last year's seniors also won 24 career games.
• Mike Globits, Victor Gonzalez, Peter Leoni, Alan McGreal, Matt Sprague, Adam Studniarek, Sean Vella and Kyle Westerholt represent the eight seniors of the highly-successful class.
• Between the eight players, the class has played in 403 career games with 289 starting assignments, while totaling 52 goals and 37 assists.
FAST STARTERS
• After a slow start to the season, Canisius is 2-2-1 in its last five games and has its strong first half of play to thank for that.
• The Griffs have scored a first-half goal in its last four games after netting a goal in just two of the team's first 11 contests.
• It was an uphill battle for Canisius to start the season as the team found itself being outscored 13-6 during the first half in its opening 11 games. The Griffs have now outscored teams in the opening period, 4-2, during their last four contests.
• Canisius has been known to be a tough team to beat when having the halftime advantage. The Griffs are 17-2-3 in their last 22 games when leading at the intermission.
CANISIUS - MARIST SERIES HISTORY
• In 13 previous meetings between the two schools, Marist holds a 10-3-0 advantage in a series that dates back to the 1996 season.
• Canisius has won the last two meetings, 3-0, after losing nine-straight contests to the Red Foxes.
• Alan McGreal has recorded seven points in the last two victories for the Griffs, posting three goals and an assist.
• Adam Miller recorded six saves, including one on a penalty kick, in last year's meeting to record his first collegiate shutout.
ABOUT THE RED FOXES
• Marist enters the weekend tied for third in the MAAC standings with a 3-2-1 record. The Red Foxes are 7-6-2 overall during the 2009 campaign.
• The Red Foxes are unbeaten in their last four games (3-0-1) after winning just once in their previous seven contests.
• Stephan Brossard leads the team this season with 13 points and six goals.
• Joe Touloumis (5g, 1a) and Lucas Szabo (3g, 5a) rank second on the team with 11 points.
• Joe Pilla has seen a majority of time in goal, posting a save percentage of .795 and a goals against average of 1.12
CANISIUS - SIENA SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to the 1987 season, Siena holds a 12-8-1 edge against the Griffs.
• Canisius has won five of the last seven meetings in the series.
• The Griffs have not lost at home to the Saints since the 1997 season, a span of four games.
• Siena defeated the Griffs last season, 2-0. In the teams' last meeting at the Demske Sports Complex, Canisius defeated Siena, 3-2, behind an Alan McGreal penalty kick goal in the 84th minute of play.
ABOUT THE SAINTS
• Siena lost to Loyola in its last game, 3-1, ending a three-game winning streak for the Saints.
• Siena is 3-2-1 in the MAAC this season and is tied for third with 10 points. Overall, the Saints are 8-6-2.
• Emery Welshman leads the Saints with 15 points in 2009, recording six goals and three assists.
• Matthew Kadoch (5g, 1a) and Joe Tavernese (3g, 5a) rank second on the team with 11 points.
• Phil Chabot has started 13 games in net for the Saints, posting a goals against average of 1.59 and a save percentage of .734.
