High winds and a high powered Central Connecticut offense proved to be too much for the Bobcats last Friday.
After defeating Wagner 4-1 to clinch the third seed in the Northeast Conference, the Bobcats were knocked out of the playoffs with a 3-0 loss to the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devil goals were netted by Jenn Fischer, Kelly Shimmin and Jess McCavanaugh.
The Bobcats managed to get away seven shots, but only got three on net. The impressive freshman Kristen van de Ven did not record one shot on goal.
Despite this being the final game of the season for the women’s soccer team, it was also the last game in the career of the four seniors on the team. Jaime Ahearn (North Brookfield, Mass.), Kellie Buccini (Waterbury, Conn.), Megan Germain (Wallingford, Conn.) and Kelly McWilliam (Aberdeen, Scotland) all played in their last game at Quinnipiac. The day was emotional for all four players, who shed tears knowing a career was over and that the team fell short of an NEC title.
Freshman Kirsten van de Ven, who dominated opponents on a regular basis throughout the season, was selected by the Northeast Conference for two prestigious awards. Van de ven won both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. She became only the second person in NEC history to accomplish such a feat. Van de ven joins Bobcat great Elisa Goncalves as the only other Quinnipiac soccer player to win the Rookie of the Year award. Goncalves won the award in 1999.
Van de Ven accomplished a clean sweep in the three main offensive categories this season: leading the NEC in goals (12), assists (11) and points scored (35). Of the 27 goals scored by the Bobcats this season, van de Ven had a foot in 23 of them.
A native of Holland, Van de Ven is also ranked nationally for her play; 17th on the list for scoring (2 points per game on average) and 18th in the nation in assists per game (0.59).
Another Quinnipiac freshman, Laura Van Leeuwen, was selected for the All-NEC second team. The Bobcat defender from Aalsmeer, Holland, scored two goals this season and aided in the scoring of two others.
The Bobcats finished the season with a record of eight wins, nine losses, and two ties overall. Their record in the NEC, however, was extremely impressive. The Bobcats finished the regular season strong with seven consecutive games without a loss, giving them a 5-3-2 record against teams in their conference.
