Sept. 5, 2010

Final Stats

Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Allie Riczo scored two goals and Natalie Daniels added another, becoming the all-time goal scoring leader in program history in the process, as Cleveland State continued the best start in program history with a 3-1 win over Canisius on Sunday afternoon at Krenzler Field.

The Vikings improved to 4-0-1 overall, while the Golden Griffiths fell to 1-3 this season.

"We battled hard this afternoon," CSU head coach Derrek Falor said. "We were a little short-handed because of the injuries to Marley (Greiner) and Marina (Taylor), but we came out ready.

"I couldn't have asked for anything better than we have done to open up the season. We have played together well and the defense has really come together and formed a cohesive unit which has limited opportunities. That has been a big difference for us this season."

Riczo put the Vikings ahead at the 23:47 mark of the first half when she headed home her first goal of the season off a Carla Ragone corner kick.

"We have done a remarkable job of taking advantage of our goal-scoring opportunities this season, especially coming off of set plays. Carla did a great job of playing the ball into the box and Allie was in a perfect position to play it," Falor said.

Riczo's goal was one of several good scoring chances by both teams in the first half that was played at a furious up and down pace.

Canisius had several scoring chances in the first half, outshooting the Vikings, 9-2, including 6-2 in shots on goal. The Golden Griffiths best chance came with just over a minute left when Dina Gabrielli drilled a shot that CSU goalkeeper Kelly Zinkiewich had to lay out to make the save.

"Kelly has been strong in goal all season for us, and that save is just another example of a shot that might have been a goal last year," Falor said. "With the defense playing well in front of her, Kelly has taken control vocally and put the defense in the right position. Then, she has focused on stopping shots."

Riczo pushed CSU's advantage to 2-0 just under seven minutes into the second half when she kicked in her second goal of the contest off a corner kick from Jessica Bound. Bound's corner found its way through the goalkeeper's hands and a flurry of defenders before Riczo one-timed it home from inside of 10 yards.

The two-goal lead lasted for 16 minutes until Canisius' Brooke Bandazian scored from just in front of the goal after a mad scramble. The Golden Griffiths started the play with a run up the right sideline before a cross into the box. The Vikings were unable to clear the ball before Bandazian took advantage and scored the second goal of the season for her team.

With Canisius pushing forward looking for the equalizer, Daniels took over.

She gained possession of the ball around midfield with just under 15 minutes to play and began to work her way up the field with a series of moves. Looking for a teammate to dish the ball off to, Daniels continued to work her way toward net, avoiding several Canisius defenders in the process with a series of moves. Using one final move just outside the box, Daniels let a shot fly that skimmed off the bottom of the crossbar and dropped in for a 3-1 lead.

"Natalie has been our finisher this season," Falor said. "She has been fantastic carrying the ball on long runs and creating them into scoring chances. That's what she did on that play. She was looking for a forward, but when she saw an opening for herself, she took it and found the back of the goal."

It was Daniels' league-leading sixth goal of the season as she has now scored in every contest this season. It also allowed Daniels to became the all-time scoring leader in school history with 13 career goals, moving past Jennifer Wieand and Shayna Back, who scored 12 goals each in their careers.

"This is what we have seen in training from Natalie over the last three years," Falor said. "We knew she was a special player and it was just a matter of her maturing as a player and taking over as a leader on the field. And what she has been able to do early on this season has been very special."

With the game well within hand, Riczo just missed notching a hat trick when her shot off a corner kick hit the crossbar and stayed out with 9:20 left in the match.

Zinkiewich made seven saves for the Vikings to earn the win.

CSU will return to action on Wednesday (Sept. 8) night when the Vikings travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State at 7:30 p.m.