It took over four halves to decide a winner, yet nobody came out victorious, as the Bobcats (2-4-1) (0-0 NEC) and Vermont (3-3-3) (0-0 AE) Catamounts ended their game in a draw Sat. afternoon at the Quinnipiac soccer field.
The Bobcats will play their first NEC game of the season at home, as they face Monmouth on Fri. Sep. 28 at 3:30 pm.
“The last stretch of four games have been taxing on us,” Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa said. “But I was very proud of the response we had today…“We were looking from a response from our team. It’s tough when you’ve lost the last three in similar fashion.”
Both teams started off the game exchanging turnovers, but Vermont’s size was noticeable, as they used it to their advantage. Bobcats’ senior captain Philip Suprise, however, used his little frame and speed to full potential, kicking a blooper over Catamounts’ junior goalkeeper Conor Leland 10 minutes in to score the first goal of the game.
Vermont wouldn’t stay silent for long. After Quinnipiac junior defender Brandon Strain-Goode attempted to slide kick the ball out of the Catamounts’ possession, he gave Vermont a penalty kick. Catamounts junior Jonny Bonner took the kick and curved it to the upper left corner of the net to equalize the game at one.
Twelves minutes after the Bonner penalty kick, Vermont struck again. Senior D.J. Edler, who leads his team in goals and points, stopped in his tracks and launched the ball into the top left corner of the net . This gave the Catamounts a 2-1 lead entering the second half.
With 13 minutes left in the second half, senior Will Daniels tied the game up on a free kick that went through a Catamounts defender’s legs and to the left side of the net. It was the first Bobcats goal in the previous five that wasn’t credited to Suprise. With a lot of missed opportunities and questionable fouls, the game entered a golden goal overtime.
During the overtime intermission, Catamounts head coach Jesse Cormier was ejected from the game after arguing a call with the main official.
While both teams played competitively, no goals were scored in the two overtime halves. Quinnipiac ended up getting 10 total corner kicks,16 fouls and 22 shots, while Quinnipiac goalkeeper Borja Angoitia had four saves.
