The Canisius College men's soccer team concludes the 2011 regular season with a pair of road games against Niagara and Cleveland State. The Griffs play Battle of the Bridge rival Niagara on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and the Vikings on Sunday at 3 p.m.
A TIMELY SCORER
• In his first season with the Griffs, junior Gavin Falconer has provided the winning touch for Canisius.
• Falconer has netted three goals in 2011 and the Griffs are a perfect 3-0-0 when he scores. When held off the scoreboard, Canisius is 1-11-1 this season.
• Of his three tallies, two for Falconer have come in overtime. He scored the game-winner against Siena on Sept 30 and again in the team's most recent game versus Rider on Oct. 23.
• Falconer is the first player in school history with two overtime goals in one season. As a team, Canisius won multiple overtime games for only the third time in the program's history, also accomplishing the feat in 1999 and 2007.
BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE RIVALRY
• Friday's game against Niagara will not only mark the teams' conference finale in 2011 but is also part of the Battle of the Bridge series between the two schools.
• The two rivals are playing for two points in the all-sports series.
• Niagara took two points from both volleyball and women's soccer this year and currently leads Canisius, 4-0. The Griffs have won the Canal Cup 3-of-5 years, including a 20-13 victory last year.
SECOND-HALF ATTACK
• Throughout the 2011 campaign, Canisius has proven to be a much better second-half team.
• The Griffs have matched their opponents in goals after the intermission (10) this year, but are being outscored 18-3 in the first half.
• Canisius has scored the first goal of the game only once this season in 15 contests that featured a goal. In all four of the Griffs' victories in 2011, the team has rallied from a 1-0 deficit to earn a 2-1 win.
CANISIUS - NIAGARA SERIES HISTORY
• The Griffs and Purple Eagles are meeting for the 52nd time in series history.
• Canisius has played Niagara more than any other school in the program's history.
• Niagara holds a 27-21-3 advantage in the series.
• The Purple Eagles have won the last three games in the series, including a 2-0 victory last season.
ABOUT THE PURPLE EAGLES
• Niagara enters the weekend with an 8-4-4 record and is 3-2-3 in MAAC play.
• The team is led by Carl Haworth, who currently ranks first in the conference in points (28) and goals (10), while ranking second in the MAAC in assists (8).
• Callum Willmott ranks second on the team with 12 points and five goals.
• Brett Petricek has started a majority of games in goal for the Purple Eagles, posting a 0.87 goals against average and .835 save percentage.
CANISIUS - CLEVELAND STATE SERIES HISTORY
• In five all-time meetings, Cleveland State is 4-0-1 against Canisius.
• The schools last met during the 2007 campaign with the Vikings earning a 1-0 victory in Buffalo
• Canisius is also winless in three contests at Cleveland State.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
• Cleveland State is currently 7-8-1 on the season and is coming off a 2-1 victory versus Butler
• Admir Suljevic leads the team with 16 points on six goals and four assists, while Aaron Adkins is close behind with 15 points on a team-best seven goals and one assist.
• Brad Stuver has started 15-of-16 games in goal, posting a 1.37 goals against average and .741 save percentage.
