By Spencer Gottschall, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team conceded its tenth loss to St. Francis (N.Y.) Sunday afternoon on its senior day and season finale. The Bobcats wrap up the year with a record of 6 – 10 overall and 4 – 6 in NEC Conference play. Prior to the game, seniors William Cavallo (Londonberry, N.H.), Durval Pereira (Cheshire, Conn.), Matthew Rothbart (Cheshire, Conn.) and Brett Uttley (Jamestown, R.I.) were honored for their play and dedication to the team over the course of their respective careers at Quinnipiac.
The Bobcats had a rough start to the first half. Five minutes in, St. Francis (N.Y.) junior, Adam Maabdi carried the ball into Quinnipiac’s box and ripped it past Borja Angoitia (Bilbao, Spain) for the first goal of the game. However, the Bobcats kept composed, and their offensive front pushed onward. Sophomore Tim Quigley (Ridgefield, Conn.) was given a great ball down the sidelines and knocked it in. Quigley was later called off sides, nullifying the goal, and the match remained 1-0 in favor of St. Francis (N.Y).
The Bobcats stayed relentless, but Terrier goalkeeper Tyler Clarhaut had numerous saves that kept them scoreless in the first. What followed was strong defensive performance by both teams including that of Cavallo. After a series of back and forth possessions, the half closed with St. Francis (N.Y) leading by one.
The beginning of the second half mirrored that of the first: the Terriers opening up with an early goal. This time, the score came off the foot of Simon Ytterbom. After a questionable no out-of-bounds call, St. Francis (N.Y.) capitalized on a corner-kick. The ball was sent into the box, it bounced around and Ytterbom tapped it in, reinforcing their lead to 2 -0 with 35 minutes left in the second.
Quinnipiac regrouped and got back into the swing of things with more shots on net. Junior William Daniels (Jr., Clackamas, Ore.) hit one just wide, and freshman Justin Ward (New Egypt, N.J.) did the same a few possessions later. The Bobcats struggled to finish and take advantage of opportunities though. At the 18-minute mark, Coach DeCosta pulled the four seniors from the game, giving them a chance to be recognized by the crowd.
Just as it seemed like the Bobcats were out of it, freshman Nils Von Der Heide (Munic, Germany) put Quinnipiac in the score column. He put in a nifty pass from freshman Hakon Weloy Aarseth (Bergen, Norway), leaving them at a one-goal deficit (2-1), with 6 minutes remaining in the game.
With new life, the Bobcats pressed into St. Francis’ defensive half. After a Terrier handball, QU was left with a free kick just outside of the box. The kick was directed right at goal, tipped by Clarhaut and punched back into play, clearing the threat. That was deemed to be the last great chance for the Bobcats as the Terriers held off another goal, solidifying victory (2-1).
After the game Coach Eric Da Costa spoke about the remarkable efforts of his seniors.
“They all have tremendous stories. Will through injury and Brett being a walk-on, they mean a lot to this team,” he said. “I wanted to make sure the seniors enjoyed themselves in a pressure free environment today.”
Even though the loss came on the seniors’ final game, all was not lost.
“This wasn’t the result we wanted (on senior day), but there are positives to take out of the game and plenty to look forward to,” Rothbart said. “I’m going to miss playing with these kids, and I wish them the best of luck.”
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