The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team made its longest road trip of the season when it visited Moon Township, Pa. Friday afternoon to battle Robert Morris. The Bobcats came up empty though in a 2-1 loss to the Colonials.

The Colonials’ Ryan Zabinski scored just 21 minutes into the game on a left-footed shot into the upper right hand corner of the net. The Bobcats were able to answer just 84 seconds later when senior Francis Mavula scored his first goal of the season off a feed from Anthony Patierno. Mavula was able to get his head on a free kick from Patierno and redirect the ball into the left corner of the net. The score remained tied 1-1 late in the second half until senior Mark Klabnik scored his first goal of the season and the eventual game-winner for the Colonials with 22:49 remaining in the game.

The Colonials outshot the Bobcats 18-14 and also had the edge in corner kicks, 14-4. Quinnipiac goalie Paul Fleck kept his team in it for most of the way racking up four saves, while Matt Felice stopped five shots for the Colonials. The loss officially eliminated Quinnipiac from competing in the Northeast Conference Tournament, while Robert Morris clinched a playoff berth after beating CCSU, 1-0 on Sunday.

The cold, rainy atmosphere in Moon Township on Friday afternoon can, for the most part, sum up the mood of this year’s soccer season. The Bobcats only won once this season, a 1-0 victory over Sacred Heart on Oct. 15. But the Quinnipiac men have shown the will to fight and keep things close, with more than half of their losses being decided by just one goal.

It wasn’t all bad for the men’s soccer team this week though as head coach Eric DaCosta was appointed to a one-year term on the 2006-2007 NCAA men’s soccer regional advisory committee. The members of this advisory committee provide important input to the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee during the season by providing updated records of all teams and rankings of the top 10 teams in each region. The final ranking of teams and sites will be considered by the committee in the selection process for the championship field.

The Bobcats closed the 2006 season at St. Francis, Pa. on Sunday, with a 2-0 loss. Fleck made four saves to wrap up his collegiate career. The Bobcats finished 1-12-4 overall and 1-5-3 in NEC play. They will be losing five seniors to graduation at the end of the year.