Three goals in the first 16 minutes of play was all the Quinnipiac women’s soccer team needed Friday. The offensive exploits of sophomore forward Susan Donovan led the Bobcats (3-1) to a dominant win over the Delaware State Hornets (1-4) by a count of 3-0.
“We played simple football,” said Donovan who scored the first goal of the contest. “If the score was 1-0 or 10-0 it didn’t matter, as long as we played simple football.”
And “simple football” would result in an all-out attack in the first half as QU peppered the Hornets keeper with 17 of their 25 overall shots.
The most impressive finish of the 17 first half shots came off the head of sophomore forward Amber Sidoti. Sidoti capitalized on a perfectly placed cross from sophomore Justine Lombardi, finding the upper left corner of the net. The goal was the Farmington native’s first on the young season.
“Overall I was happy with the performance,” Coach Dave Clarke said. “We played well early on.”
Sidoti’s header was just one illustration of the tic-tac-toe passing the Bobcats exhibited all afternoon. Complimented by their far superior speed QU used a combination of speed and field sense to leave the Hornets players scratching their heads.
“The team chemistry is awesome,” said Meagan McLoughlin who scored on a hard bending shot inside the left post.
Quinnipiac’s dominant play in the first half sparked a change in attitude in the second half for the Hornets. DSU, a team shut out in their first three games, but coming off a 6-0 win, had a little more spring in their step upon returning to the pitch. The physical play of their defense was essential in keeping the final score respectable.
“They started to get into the game more,” Donovan said. “They had nothing to lose.”
The Bobcats were not afraid to return the favor either as the Quinnipiac defense limited the opposition to one shot on goal in the second half.
“We’re a rough team,” said McLoughlin of the physical play in the second half. “We don’t like to let other teams push us around.”
Despite the strong play from the defense coach Clarke wasn’t entirely happy with the overall performance in the second half.
“The glass is always half empty when you’re a coach,” Clarke said. “Next time I would like to maintain the strong play throughout the entire game.”
The offensive inconsistencies could be accredited to the new faces on the field as several Bobcat starters were pulled from the lineup after building the early lead. Quinnipiac used 12 substitutes in the victory.
“The subs upset the rhythm,” Clarke admitted.
The third consecutive win, and second consecutive shutout, helped the squad continue the early season success as the Bobcats look to get ready for Northeast Conference play.
