After a rough road trip, the Bobcats returned home needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. While it wasn’t easy, they pulled it off in a 16-15 nail-biter against Robert Morris
Though this was a very close matchup, as the final score would portray, Quinnipiac never trailed in the game.
The Bobcats struck first when Liane Toomey scored just one minute into the game and followed that up with one of Kyra Ochwat’s five goals a minute later. After 15 minutes of play Quinnipiac had amassed a 7-1 lead. However, this game was far from over.
From that point on, the matchup was highly competitive. Robert Morris rallied back, cutting Quinnipiac’s lead to one heading into the half. Much like they did in the first the Bobcats started the second half on a roll. Ochwat scored two consecutive goals to start the half and Maria Blois added one of her own to build an 11-7 lead.
The action went back and forth but Quinnipiac was getting the better of Robert Morris. With eight minutes left to play Michaela Tinsley scored what would be final Quinnipiac goal of the day and seemed to put the game away.
Once again, Robert Morris would not roll over. Over the course of one minute, the Colonials scored three goals to come within two. With just five minutes to play Robert Morris scored again to make it a one-score game.
Quinnipiac head coach Danie Caro then called a timeout to give the Bobcats a chance to regroup. After that the team held strong, ran the clock out, and kept Robert Morris out of the net for the rest of the day to give Quinnipiac its third straight home victory.
“I am very proud of the team for staying composed and poised in the last five minutes to allow us to seal the win,” Caro said. “RMU is a good team and today’s game was exciting.”
The star of the day for the Bobcats was Ochwat. Ochwat scored five goals and had an assist on the day. Quinnipiac’s all-time assist leader Sarah Allen was her usual self, dishing out six and scored a pair of goals. Michaela Tinsley also came up big for Quinnipiac with four goals of her own.
“Kyra and Sarah both played great, despite having RMU’s best defenders on them,” Caro said. “They showed why they are two of the best attackers in the NEC.”
The win brings the Bobcats to 6-9 on the season and 4-4 in conference. To make the NEC playoffs they will need to beat St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday; however, they will need some help from around the league to secure the final spot.
After losing its first three home games of the season, the QU Turf Field has been much more inviting to Quinnipiac. In the month of April the Bobcats are 3-0 at home compared to 0-2 on the road, a good sign heading into a critical home game. Before Sunday’s game the seniors on the team will be honored in the annual Senior Day ceremony.
