The Quinnipiac University women’s soccer team defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in their first game of Northeastern Conference play on Friday, 1-0. Senior Kemesha Woodfine’s goal in the 54th minute would be the deciding factor which ended the teams two-game losing streak.
The opening half saw both teams struggle offensively as the teams combined for only four shots in the half.
Quinnipiac ( 5-2-1, 1-0-0 NEC) was able to make the necessary adjustments at halftime and pulled away. The Bobcats outshot Fairleigh Dickinson 10-3 in the second period and scored the only goal of the game 10 minutes into the half.
Through the Bobcats’ two-game losing streak the team failed to score a goal. That trend looked like it would continue after a couple of missed shots in the scoreless first half. However, the team remained confident.
“All we had to do was go out there and do what our coach told us to do,” Woodfine said, who ended the drought and the losing streak with her second half goal.
Injuries have played a major role in the Bobcats’ season so far; several players have battled through injuries and illness this season.
“Being healthy is the key” Quinnipiac head coach Dave Clarke said. “We’ve had a lot of players injured, a lot of players sick, we had the flu go through the team…Having players out the past week contributed to the losses and today we got players back it contributed to the win.”
Woodfine is one of those players who have had issues with injuries this season. However, she has still been able to play well, leading the Bobcats with three goals despite playing limited minutes and missing two games. When asked how she maintains this high level of play Woodfire said “I’m a senior. It’s my last year and that’s basically the motivation. I play for my team and most importantly Jill Strassner… that’s a player who would love to be out on the field.” Junior Jill Strassner will miss this season after reinjuring her ACL.
The Knights are the first NEC team the Bobcats have faced this season. When asked about the importance of beginning conference play with a win Clarke said, “A win is the most important thing. Stylistically you want to play well, which I think we did in the second half more so the first, but the most important thing is 3 points.”
The Bobcats hope to remain undefeated in the NEC when they face Central Connecticut State today.
“We can’t come out with a performance like we did in the first half,” Clarke said. He also hoped for a little bit of luck against the instate rival, “They play tonight so hopefully they go to overtime, that takes a little bit out of them.”