Men’s Soccer Squares Off Against No. 5 Michigan State

Canisius (1-1-0) at No. 5 Michigan State (1-0-1) Date: Friday, Aug. 31, 2018 Time: 3 p.m. Location: DeMartin Soccer Complex – East Lansing, Mich. Live Video: N/A Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats Twitter: @GriffsSoccer l #Griffs |#MAACSoccer The Canisius men's soccer team continues its season-opening road swing Friday as it takes on No. 5 Michigan State in a 3 p.m. matinee at the DeMartin Soccer Complex in East Lansing, Mich. Last Time Out • Canisius suffered its first loss of the 2018 season with a 3-2 setback at Northern Kentucky on Monday. • Seniors Hunter Walsh and Melvin Blair scored their first goals of the season to pace the Golden Griffins, but the Norse used a tally in the 82nd minute from Alex Willis to break a 2-2 deadlock and record the victory. • Senior Bryce Tramuta recorded a career-high eight saves in goal for Canisius, including five stops in the first half. • Freshman Jo Preci picked up his first collegiate point with an assist on Walsh's first-half tally. Brady, Tramuta Honored by MAAC • Tramuta and junior forward Troy Brady were both recognized as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced its weekly award winners on Monday. • Tramuta, a native of Jeanette, Pa., was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week while Brady, a Grand Island, N.Y., product, was tabbed the circuit's Offensive Player of the Week. • Both players played key roles in the Golden Griffins' season-opening victory at Robert Morris on Aug. 24. • Tramuta stopped all five shots he faced to record his second career shutout while Brady came off the bench to score in the 25th and 77th minutes to propel the Blue and Gold to a 3-0 victory over the Colonials. Scouting Michigan State • In the midst of a four-game season-opening homestand, No. 5 Michigan State brings a 1-0-1 mark into Friday's contest following a 1-0 victory over South Florida and a 0-0 draw against Tulsa to open the campaign. • Picked to finish second in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, the Spartans posted a 13-3-4 overall record and a 5-0-3 mark in conference play in 2017 as they earned a trip to the Men's College Cup Elite Eight. • Ryan Sierakowski (9g, 3a) and DeJuan Jones (7g, 6a) are back to pace the MSU attack as the duo finished 1-2 in scoring last season with 21 and 20 points, respectively. • Jimmy Hague, the reigning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, also returns after posting 11 shutouts and a 0.62 goals against average during his junior campaign. He was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording shutouts in both games last weekend. Canisius-Michigan State Series Notes • Friday's contest serves as the third all-time meeting between Canisius and Michigan State, but the first in more than 20 years. • The Griffs and Spartans faced each other during the 1996 and 1997 seasons in a pair of early-season tournaments. Both contests took place on Aug. 31. • Michigan State was victorious in both matchups, posting a 4-0 victory over Canisius at the University at Buffalo Fall Classic in their inaugural meeting, before recording a 6-2 triumph at its own Quality Suites Classic the following season. Up Next Canisius completes its Labor Day weekend road trip Monday with a 1 p.m. matinee at Michigan.

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