Strong effort on senior day: Bobcats fall short against Terriers
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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Penalty Kick Gives Bobcats the Win over Robert Morris
By Taylor Massey, QBSN Staff Writer
Robert Morris’s overly aggressive defense held off the Bobcats from taking an early lead, but ultimately lead to their downfall. The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team defeated the Robert Morris Colonials 2-1 late Saturday afternoon with a game-winning penalty kick off the foot of Matthew Rothbart.
The Colonials took control of the match early; scoring in the eighth minute of the first half. Prince Samuels took a pass from Devon Williams to put a far shot into the corner of the net. The Bobcats then took control and drove the ball down into the Colonials territory. They continually peppered the ball near the Robert Morris net, but were unable to tear past the tough Colonial defense.
Coming to the end of the first half the Bobcats were still having trouble breaking through the aggressive Colonial’s defense, until the ball finally found Philip Surprise. In the 40th minute of play, Suprise ripped a long shot that placed the ball in the bottom corner of the net, past the diving arms of Robert Morris goalkeeper Toba Bolaji, which tied the match at 1-1 at the end of the first half.
At the start of the second half, both teams continued their strong defensive play. Quinnipiac had several well set up plays, but had trouble directing the ball to the net.
Finally with 11 minutes left in the match, the Bobcats were awarded a penalty kick when a Robert Morris defender tripped Suprise on his way into the box. Matthew Rothbart stepped up to take the penalty kick, and blasted the ball past Bolaji for the goal, giving Quinnipiac the 2-1 lead.
The Colonials had some opportunities late in the game, but were not able to convert thanks to Bobcats goalkeeper Borja Angoitia making some key saves.
With this win, Quinnipiac advances to a 5-4 overall record and Robert Morris falls to 4-6-1 overall. The Bobcats will spend their next four games on the road, with Farleigh Dickinson up next.
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Will Daniels Scores in Overtime to Defeat Red Flash
By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Staff Writer
It only took two minutes into an overtime period to send the Red Flash off the field on Friday. Junior William Daniels hit a laser off the crossbar and into the goal in the 92nd minute of play, giving Quinnipiac the 2-1 victory in a thrilling Northeast Conference matchup. The win brings Quinnipiac back to an even 4-4, and St. Francis drops to 5-5-1.
St. Francis drew first blood in the 15th minute when Paulo Medina put an Alex Hainault offering into the far post. Only ten minutes passed before the Bobcats came up with an equalizer. Philip Surprise tied the game 1-1 with the assist credited to Tim Quigley. Both teams ended the half with five shots apiece.
Quinnipiac was outshot 12-5 in the second half, but despite the double digit shots allowed, none made it to the back of the net for either team. After the lull in scoring in the second half, Daniels wasted no time in the overtime period with the game-winning assist coming from William Cavallo.
Both Darius Motazed of St. Francis and Borja Angoitia of Quinnipiac played the entirety of the game with four saves each on the day.
The Bobcats will need the momentum from this exciting victory as they face another conference matchup against Robert Morris Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 pm.
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Men's Soccer Wins Conference Opener (9-30-11)
By Ben Dias, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac men's soccer team opened up Northeast Conference play Friday with a 2-1 victory over the Bryant Bulldogs.
The Bobcats two goals in less than three minutes was all the scoring they needed, as constant offensive pressure and solid defense contributed to the win. Quinnipiac (3-3, 1-0 NEC) held the Bulldogs (1-5-1, 0-1 NEC) offense without many opportunities for most of the game, thanks to strong defense from the Bobcats back line.
After a scoreless 35 minutes of play, the Bobcats finally got on the board, thanks to senior captain Durval Pereira. In the 36th minute, freshman forward Ola Ogunjobi sent a pass into the box to Pereira, who curled it into the left side of the net past Bryant goalkeeper George Spanos. It was Ogunjobi’s first collegiate assist and Pereira’s second goal of the season.
Throughout the first half, the Bobcats kept applying the offensive pressure. In the 40th minute junior forward Will Daniels, added to the scoring when he received a lob pass from Pereira, outside the box. Daniels took the ball, moved to his right and blasted his first goal of the season into the top right corner, giving the Bobcats a 2-0 lead. It was Pereira’s second assist of the season.
The Bulldogs would score their only goal of the game in the 43rd minute. Junior midfielder, Anthony Zarella, netted his first goal of the season off an assist from junior defender Eddie Curry. Zarella’s goal was setup on a long lob pass from midfield. A Bobcat defender misplayed the ball and Zarella beat Bobcat freshman goalkeeper Borja Angoitia in the upper right hand corner of the net, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Quinnipiac goalkeeper Borja Angoitia made two saves in net for the Bobcats to improve his record to 3-2, while Bryant’s George Spanos turned away three shots for Bryant.
The Bobcats defense stymied Bryant in the second half, surrendering only four shots in the half and 10 total for the game.
“I think our back line did really well,” Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa said. “It’s the same back line and same goalkeeper we used against Loyola. It was the first time we had the same combination of players. I thought they responded really well, as a defensive unit they did exactly that, they blocked a lot of shots and stopped shots from getting to goal.”
The Bobcats extend their record at home to 3-1 to begin the season and will look to carry their strong play early on in their conference schedule.
“Our goals are, we got five home games and 15 points that we need to pick up,” Da Costa said. “If we can pick up all of our points at home and get some good results on the road, then we’ll be in a really good spot.”
Quinnipiac outshot Bryant 22-10 and held a 5-to-4 advantage in corner kicks.
“Today was a grind it out kind of win, it’s a conference game and it’s exactly what it’s going to be like from here on out,” Da Costa said.
The Bobcats will look to extend their win streak when they travel to NJIT on Sunday, Oct. 2 for a non-conference game at 2 p.m.
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Men's Soccer Defeats Loyola (9-24-11)
By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team defeated Loyola University in a low-scoring 1-0 contest, giving the Bobcats and freshman goalie Borja Angoitia their first shutout of the season. With the victory, the Bobcats boost their record to 2-3, while the Greyhounds fall to 5-2-1. The Bobcats’ win brings an end to Loyola’s four-game consecutive win streak.
Even though the Greyhounds outshot the Bobcats 20-15 throughout the game, it only took Quinnipiac senior William Cavallo an assist from junior Philip Suprise in the 53rd minutes to render that statistic irrelevant. Suprise’s assist is his fourth on the season, which leads the team.
“I just shot it, and the rest is history,” said Cavallo of his game-winning goal.
With the goal coming early in the second half, Loyola had plenty of time for an equalizer and came very close to pulling it off. Greyhound sophomore Jamie Libby had a header in the 81st minute, but a foul on the play turned the call over, working in Quinnipiac’s favor. Loyola got two more shots off before the game’s end after nearly tying it up but could not produce a goal.
Quinnipiac’s defense was under constant pressure the entire game. Of Loyola’s 20 shots, four were on target.
In addition to his first shutout, Angoitia had four saves on the game. His counterpart, Loyola’s Kyle Wittman, had six saves of his own.
This confidence-raising victory has come just in time with a crucial point of the season getting closer.
“Conference play is just around the corner,” noted Cavallo.
“We demand a lot of them,” said Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa.
The Bobcats begin Northeast Conference play when the Bryant Bulldogs come to Hamden next Friday at 3 pm.
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Bobcats Lose to Lehigh in Physical, Controversial Contest
By Jon Alba, QBSN Staff Writer
After a frustrating performance against Lehigh on Friday evening, the Quinnipiac Bobcats women's soccer team dropped their fourth match of the season, losing 4-2. The loss adds to a rough start for the Bobcats (0-4-1), as they begin to head into the main stretch of their season.
The Mountain Hawks (2-2-1) aggressively attacked the Quinnipiac zone from the start, jumping off to a 2-0 lead after nearly-consecutive goals from midfielder Geena Pepe (19") and forward Murphee Greeley (20"). Greeley would later add another goal in the 51st-minute as well.
Quinnipiac mustered a well-orchestrated score off the foot of junior Shauna Edwards (20"), but after falling behind another two points, only managed a late goal from senior Furtuna Velaj (85").
The 19 shots on goal by the Bobcats was their largest total on the season, but was matched but a forceful Lehigh showing. Tempers brewed over the course of the contest, as players came to blows with one another in both verbal and even minor physical confrontations.
While the referees did call 19 fouls on the Mountain Hawks, as opposed to seven for Quinnipiac, Bobcats head coach Dave Clarke expressed his unhappiness with the officiating.
"Some of those bizarre referee decisions…they offer no protection to the players," said a visibly upset Clarke. "You bring a talented player like [Velaj] into Quinnipiac, and you offer her no protection."
Clarke's comments came after Velaj was nearly forced out of the game after an aggressive slide-tackle in the first half almost injured the midfielder.
Even after being rattled by the two quick goals early on, Quinnipiac goalkeeper Jill Kelley settled down to close the half. However, the Lehigh offense proved too powerful, as they tired down the Bobcats' defense and forced two more past her. In total, Kelley finished the night with eight saves.
"You can't put all the blame on our goalie, as her defensive mates did do the job," added Clarke.
Quinnipiac will have to be ready to move on quickly, as it faces Holy Cross Sunday at home at 1:00 p.m. Even with the controversial officiating clouding Friday's loss, the coach was clear in his message moving forward.
"Bottom line is, you can't blame the referees for everything. We need to improve the defensive effort, and we have to put away our shots next time."
