No.
1 seed slips away from women’s lacrosse
By: Taylor Massey QBSN Staff Writer
As the rain moved in, the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team
was washed out by the Bryant Bulldogs. In their final game of the regular
season the Bobcats lost to the Bulldogs by a mere two points, falling 8-6.
The Bulldogs burst onto the field scoring five unanswered
goals in the first nine minutes of the game. The Bobcats defense appeared weak
allowing several Bulldog players to break through to the goal. Senior
goaltender Noelle Martello (Westbury, N.Y.) started the game, but was switched
with Samantha Tilts (Port Washington, N.Y.) after the fifth goal.
Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.) finally got the Bobcats in
the game with the first goal. The freshman has proved to be a key player for the
Bobcats. Ochwat is second on the team in goals with 31 goal points. Devon
Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) recorded an assist on the goal.
After another Bryant goal, Quinnipiac kicked it into gear
with a three goal streak started off by the team of Marissa Caroleo (North
Babylon, N.Y.) and Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.). They cut Bryant’s 6-1 lead
in half with back-to-back goals by Caroleo and the assists going to Allen.
Caroleo is three points away from breaking the all-time points record while
Allen is three assists away from the all-time assist record.
Lauren Sheridan led the Bulldogs to a win, earning a hat
trick in the first half of the game. Katherine Keckeisen also contributed two
goals to their eight-goal total. All but one of Bryant’s goals was made
unassisted.
The scoring slowed down in the second half with each goalie
making vital saves. Tilts made seven saves in her time in the net, only
allowing one goal in the second half. Even with defense stepping up later in
the game, it wasn’t enough to take over the Bulldogs.
Post-season begins next weekend, and the Bobcats will need
to work on few aspects of their game. Quinnipiac will need to come out on the
field with a lot more intensity in order to succeed in the playoffs.
“If we can’t play 60 minutes, we’ve got no business winning
a game,” said head coach Danie Caro. “That’s something we’ve got to work on for
next weekend.”
Quinnipiac drops to 7-2 in the NEC and 8-7 overall while
Bryant improves to 5-4 in conference and 6-10 overall. As the No. 2-seed in the
NEC, the Bobcats will head to Fairfield, Conn. next weekend to take on the No.
3-seed Monmouth.
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Women’s lacrosse crushes late-game surge
By: Taylor Massey, QBSN Staff Writer
In the first of its final two regular season games, the
Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team took on Northeast Conference foe Central
Connecticut. Aiming to end the season strong, the Bobcats proved they came to
play. After holding a consistent lead throughout the game, the Bobcats ended
the game halting a comeback by the Blue Devils and winning 14-11.
The Bobcats immediately took control of the game winning,
the opening draw and following it up with a goal by Marissa Caroleo (North
Babylon, N.Y.) seconds later. This was only the first of five goals that
Caroleo would score to lead the Bobcats to victory.
Extending their lead was easy coming off the consecutive
draw control wins by Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.). During the game Gibney
managed to break the single-season draw control record with 143 wins, surpassing
her own record of 47 that she set last year. The Bobcats were able to
capitalize on the many opportunities that Gibney offered them.
Quinnipiac’s 14 goals were spread out among seven
different Bobcats. Michaela Tinsley (Shrewsbury, Mass.) had a big game,
recording a hat trick. In the eyes of head coach Danie Caro, this diverse
scoring team is a great advantage.
“It makes me really proud,” said Caro of the full team
effort. “We have a tough team to scout for our opponents because if you shut
any one player down there’s five or six others that can step up and have a big
game.”
Goals aren’t the only thing that can give a player a big
game. Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.) has been a huge force on assists this
season for the Bobcats. She tallied her 100th earlier this season
and is now on her way to breaking the all-time assist record. Against the Blue
Devils, she had a game-high of one goal and five assists.
The Bobcats’ well-rounded team commanded the first half
of the game before allowing the Blue Devils to gain momentum. In the final
minutes of the second half, the Blue Devils made three stunning goals to bridge
the gap in scoring. Meaghan McCurry led Central with five goals matching
Caroleo. Ashley Perkoski also played a key for the Blue Devils with a goal and
four assists.
However the Bobcats were able to hold onto their
lead. This gives them a strong boost of
momentum for their final game of the season against the Bryant Bulldogs. This
NEC match-up will help determine whether or not the Bobcats will have the home
advantage going into the playoffs.
“It’s everything,” said Allen of having the home advantage.
“It’s what we’ve been working for all season, and if we stick to our game plan
like Danie said then I think we’ll be okay.”
Quinnipiac improves to 8-6 overall and 7-1 in conference
play while Central Connecticut falls to 7-8 overall and 5-3 in conference. The
Quinnipiac Bobcats take on the Bryant Bulldogs this Sunday, April 22 at 12 p.m.
In their final NEC match-up of the season the Bobcats will fight for home
advantage in the first round of playoffs.
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Fairfield defeats women’s lacrosse
By: Taylor Massey QBSN Staff Writer
In its last non-conference game of the season, the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team let the Fairfield Stags run away with a win. The Bobcats nailed the first goal of the game early on, but soon after Fairfield took the lead and never looked back. The Stags held onto at least a one-goal lead throughout the game before pulling away with a six-goal difference. The afternoon came to an end with the Bobcats falling 11-5 to the Stags.
Lianne Toomey (Hicksville, N.Y.) was the first player on the board and the only Bobcat with a multiple-goal game. Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) was the only other Bobcat to have a multiple-point game, recording a goal and an assist. The two other Quinnipiac goals came from Kearney Sneath (Branford, Conn.) and Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.).
Fairfield stole the game with a five-goal streak in each of the two halves. After the first streak, Quinnipiac answered back with three straight goals to close the gap. However after the second streak, the Bobcats were unable to make a come back.
Melanie Raso lead the Stags in goals, beating Bobcat goalie Samantha Tilts (Port Washington, N.Y.) three times. Jamie Leone also had a multiple-point game for the Stags, adding a goal and an assist.
Despite the loss, freshman goalie Tilts made a total of six saves for the Bobcats. Assistant coach Brittany Hauser commented on the talent of Tilts and fellow freshman Ochwat as they have progressed throughout the season.
“We thought we’d give her the opportunity today and she did very well for us,” Hauser said about Tilts. “She’s very positive and she talks her defense very well.”
Ochwat has also proved to be a key player. She sits in fourth place on the team in points with a total of 34 this season off of 28 goals and six assists.
“She’s really working hard and stepping up her game and adjusting to what the other teams are doing and she’s doing what we want her to do,” said Hauser.
As the Bobcats enter into their final two conference games of the season against Central Connecticut State and Bryant University, they will be relying on these players to keep up their hard work.
Quinnipiac drops to 7-6 overall while Fairfield improves to 10-3. The Bobcats return to action on their home turf next Friday against Central Connecticut.
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Women’s lacrosse sweeps weekend
By: Taylor Massey QBSN Staff Writer
The Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team continued its winning streak today by topping NEC opponent Monmouth. Multiple players had career highs in the 13-8 win to sweep the weekend.
Quinnipiac (5-4, 4-0) took the lead over the Monmouth Hawks (3-9, 2-2) early in the game. The Bobcats dominated the first half scoring nine of their 12 goals in that time. The Hawks made a late game charge with six goals, but they were unable to catch up.
The scoring was spread out among six different Bobcats, but nearly half of the 13 goals came from freshman Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.) Ochwat netted six goals to lead the Bobcats to victory. Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.) who hit 100 career points in Friday’s game added a high of six assists.
Seniors Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) each recorded two goals for the Bobcats. Chelsea Guerrera (Wantagh, N.Y.), Lianne Toomey (Hicksville, N.Y.) and Brianna Russo (Middleton, N.Y.) each had a goal. Michaela Tinsley (Shrewsbury, Mass.) also added three assists.
“Marissa, Devon and Chelsea were again very solid in transition and really helped us to move the ball into the attacking end after our defensive stops,” said head coach Danie Caro.
The Bobcats’ defense kept them from slipping behind in the final minutes of the game. Toomey totaled a career-high of six draw controls while Gibney had a game-high four ground balls and team-high three caused turnovers.
Goalie Noelle Martello (Westbury, N.Y.) also made a solid effort in the net with nine saves.
“Her quick clears really sparked our offensive transition, and we’re very happy with the way she played today,” said Caro of Martello.
Monmouth goalie Katie Donohoe made 11 saves and Allison Stathius tallied three goals for a hat trick for the Hawks.
The Bobcats will need the momentum to get through their next three games on the road. On Thursday, they head out to take on St. Francis (Pa) in yet another conference game.
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Record breaking days for Careleo and Allen
By Giovanni Mio, QBSN Staff Writer
Senior Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) broke the all-time goals record while junior Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.) got her 100th assist on the same play. The 12-10 win over Mount St. Mary’s (3-8, 1-2 NEC) Friday afternoon makes for three Quinnipiac straight victories.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” said Caroleo of the record. “It was good to get a win today.”
The goal was one of seven straight unanswered goals from Quinnipiac (4-4, 3-0 NEC) in the second half. The Bobcats trailed at the end of the first half 6-4.
“I have faith in my team,” said Allen. “We have players that are strong and able to do anything.”
Allen led the team with five assists, while Caroleo and freshman Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.) each had three goals.
“It was a tale of two halves,” said head coach Danie Caro. “They proved something not only to the conference but to themselves.”
The game turned out to be a streaky one as Quinnipiac and Mount St. Mary’s exchanged uncontested goals. The Mountaineers scored four unanswered goals, followed by seven straight Quinnipiac goals leading to three straight from Mount St. Mary’s.
With her three goals today, Caroleo has 28 on the season. Allen has 35 assists this year, which is first in the nation.
