Boys Soccer Defeats Canisius

Goal: McHale, 54’

 

Drama abounded on the turf as Nichols downs Canisius, 1-0, to establish true dominance in the Monsignor-Martin league. Winning their fifth straight game, this result may have been the most impressive, and most important, of the season thus far. Having beat St. Mary’s of Lancaster earlier this week, the team had beaten all its league rivals but Canisius, who they had tied on the road on September 18. The game had a playoff atmosphere: student sections from both schools filled the sidelines; spectators lined the outside of the fence on Amherst Street to get a view of the action; and the players, coaches, and statisticians alike felt the palpable sense of urgency to pull away with a win. The sides were locked in contention for the first half, the ball pinging from midfield to midfield, steals and tackles more common than shots and goals. The defense, which hasn’t allowed a goal in four games, continued to impress. Even after Lucas Benchley, the starting goalkeeper, went down with a concussion, sophomore backup Lucas Suero played brilliantly, making diving stops to both sides. Then, after a Canisius defender dropped Michael McHale, sophomore center-attacking-midfielder, about thirty-five yards from the goal, the Vikings had their first real chance. The rowdy spectators fell silent. McHale, who has had a penchant to forgo a shot on free-kicks in favor of selflessly creating chances for his teammates, instead fired one into the top right corner. The shot found its way past the keeper for the game’s only goal, and cemented Nichols as the team to beat in the Monsignor-Martin. The league-leaders will head to Athol Springs to play St. Francis under the lights on Tuesday night.