After winning two critical games in the Black Bear Classic in Maine, the men’s soccer team knew it would be a marked team when it got into its regular season schedule. Losses to St. Peter’s and the University of Hartford were minor set backs to the squad which looked to rebound against Northeastern University located in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Bobcats looked to get back on track before the start of the team’s conference schedule.

The first half was played evenly with both teams going back and forth until Husky forward Jay Betley scored with 15 seconds to go in the first half. This goal eventually proved to be the game winner as Quinnipiac was unable to get on the board.

In the second half, the Huskies added two more goals, the first by freshman Daniel Ivec who scored off a deflection in front of the Bobcat net. The second goal was netted by junior Andrew Hickey who notched a point on a break-away play.

All the goals registered by Northeastern were unassisted.

The real story of the game however was sophomore Conor Shilcock-Elliot. He kept the Bobcats from being blown out by making an NCAA season high 20 saves. The Huskies peppered Shilcock-Elliot with 28 shots, 23 of which were on net. The 20 saves also sets a career high for the goal keeper who also recorded 12 in a loss against St. Peter’s. Thirteen of the saves came in the first half with the remainder coming after the intermission.

The Bobcats registered five total shots, with five players each taking one, including Francis Mavula who was MVP of the Black Bear Tournament where he registered two goals in route to helping Quinnipiac capture the tournament’s championship. Two of the five Bobcat shots were on goal and both were saved by Husky goalkeeper Sergio Saccoccio.

Despite the early set backs handed to the Bobcats, the successes in the early stages of the season will be things the team can build on during its conference schedule. With gained experience and confidence, the team should be able to go back to its winning ways.